Last January, Gloria Fei, a heart failure patient, was discharged from a New York hospital to home hospice care. The 83-year-old mother of two was experiencing tremendous pain, had poor kidney function and had recently lost 40 pounds. Her family refused to accept that nothing more could be done and sought advice from various relatives. That’s when Joanna Louie, a pharmacology research manager at Atlantic Health, suggested Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute’s Thomas E. Reilly Heart Success Program for patients experiencing heart failure.
“On January 13, we arrived at Morristown Medical Center on Gagnon 1, and room 15 became our new home,” say John Fei, Mrs. Fei’s husband of 58 years.
He and his family were immediately impressed by the team of physicians, led by Frank Smart, MD, former chairman of cardiovascular medicine. The team, including Robert Kipperman, MD, and Michael Rothkopf, MD, planned to restore Mrs.
Fei’s physical health by supplying nutrients and when she grew stronger, inserting a valve clip to repair her heart.
Mr. Fei stayed with his wife around-the-clock, and the physicians recognized that this was perhaps the best medicine for their patient. Mr. Fei, in turn, witnessed his wife’s amazing care. “Gagnon not only contains state-of-the art technology, but its knowledgeable, compassionate and intelligent staff knows how to respond at the most critical times,” he says. “One night I was awoken by a team of first responders who rushed into our room to save Gloria because her telemetry was at a critical level.”
What particularly impressed Mr. Fei was that the nursing staff began looking after his needs as well: “My right leg was swollen, and a male nurse from another floor noticed I was limping and wrapped it for me.”
Despite the stellar attention, Mrs. Fei succumbed to kidney failure and passed away on Feb. 2, 2011, her birthday. To show their appreciation for the attentive care, the family created The Gloria and John C.Y. Fei Endowment Fund to benefit the Cardiac Research and Heart Success programs.
“We thank all the doctors and nurses – everyone tried so hard,” says Mr. Fei. “We thank Morristown Medical Center for not giving up.”