He's grateful to the staff there who became like family to him and helped him get back on his feet and living a full and healthy life!
On Christmas Day 2023, 42-year-old Brian Kaempf, of Linden, received a present in the form of three new, life-saving stents in his heart, the result of a procedure performed by interventional cardiologist Dr. Delphine Tang. It's now a running joke between Dr. Tang and Brian about what next year’s holiday season will bring and how they don’t want a repeat recurrence of running into each other again under similar circumstances.
It started when Brian felt stomach pain on Christmas Day. He had spent the previous evening at his parent’s home in Long Island, N.Y., and rather than driving back home, he came straight to our Emergency Department.
Once seen, Brian’s case became immediate and urgent. It was clear the pain he was experiencing was not from a stomachache. He was having a heart attack. It turned out Brian had a complete blockage of his right coronary artery. Brian was quickly rushed to the cardiac catherization lab, where Dr. Tang performed his coronary intervention. The blockage he had in his artery was opened by stents being placed.
From there, Brian spent two days in the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) and was soon discharged. As part of his recovery from his heart attack, he attended our Cardiac Rehab Program. Brian spent 3 months participating in cardiac-specific therapy sessions at our specialized Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit. He's grateful to the staff there who became like family to him and helped him get back on his feet and living a full and healthy life!
Since the incident, Brian has returned to work and traveled to places like New Orleans. Brian says he lives his life a little differently now, and he is very thankful for the entire team at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway that cared for him and his heart. In celebration of these professionals this February during American Heart Month, we reunited Brian with his cardiac care team. Two years later, they were all thrilled to see him back happy and healthy, living life and thriving.
No one plans on heart problems. But everyone should have a plan for them. Make your plan for heart health at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway. Get your heart checked.