Health News Magazine

Victor Canales is enjoying a new lease on life since undergoing open-heart surgery and cardiac rehabilitation.

Victor Canales was 63 when he found out he needed open-heart surgery. He was active and had been playing soccer just the week before, when he suddenly began to feel out-of-breath and weak. Testing revealed that he had three blockages in his arteries that were restricting blood flow to his heart. “It was hectic,” he recalls of the worry and uncertainty he felt about the surgery. Then he met his cardiothoracic surgeon Arthur Santos, MD, and he knew everything would be okay.

“He gave me peace,” Victor says of Dr. Santos, who immediately put him at ease and told him what to expect each day he was in the hospital. “He is a great, great person,” Victor says. "He has been a blessing to my life."

After the surgery was successfully completed, Victor remembers the attentive care he received from the nurses at Doctors Hospital, who were there for him day and night. His recovery also included about 12 weeks of outpatient rehabilitation at the hospital, where he spent an hour each day on exercises and other activities.

Looking back on it now, he says it’s important to have your symptoms checked out if something doesn’t feel right. “Don’t be afraid to see the doctor, that was the key for me,” he says.

Today, Victor tries to eat well and exercise to stay healthy. He has been back to Doctors Hospital to thank the people who cared for him. If there were an “Oscar” award for hospital teams, he says he’d give it to them. “They’re awesome people,” he says.

Learn more about heart care at doctors hospital