At 64 years old, Charles Medeiros was in great shape. He had both strength and stamina. But over the course of two years he began to notice himself slowing down. Religious about riding his exercise bike, he would be out of breath after only a few minutes on the pedals. He went for a stress test at NSMC Salem Hospital in December of 2003 and that showed a dramatic drop in his blood pressure while he was working out--a sign of poor heart function.  Andrew Kemper, M.D., performed an angiogram on Charles a few days later and confirmed that Charles needed bypass surgery, as soon as possible.

Before the cardiac surgery unit opened at NSMC in 2003, patients in Charles' situation would be transferred to Boston for surgery. Two years of collaboration between Massachusetts General and NSMC resulted in the opening of a new cardiac surgery unit at NSMC Salem Hospital just a few months before Charles came in for testing. Charles considered himself lucky: he would receive the highest standard of care available, just a short drive from his home in North Reading. Following cardiac surgery performed by Dr. Ann Toran, cardiac surgeons, physician assistants and other professional staff reviewed Charles's progress each day and agreed to a game plan. Charles was particularly impressed with the extensive cardiac rehabilitation program he was enrolled in following the surgery. For twelve weeks he worked out in the cardiac rehabilitation gym, learned about nutrition requirements specific to his condition, and practiced relaxation techniques with a stress management counselor. Today Charles is fully recovered and feels stronger than ever.