Facing Open-heart Surgery with an Expert Care Team and a Loving Family

When Mary Dube first began having heart trouble in 2015, the biggest shock was the overwhelming fatigue.

“Whether I was working at my food service job or chasing around my grandkids, I always had a lot of energy,” she says. “When I suddenly started getting tired and sluggish, I told my primary care doctor and that ended up being the first step in the journey to fix my heart.”

Her primary care doctor ordered an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) and referred her to Southcoast Health Heart & Vascular cardiologist Jarvis Lambert, MD, near Mary’s home in Fall River.

After reviewing the echocardiogram, conducting a physical exam, and analyzing Mary’s symptoms, Dr. Lambert informed Mary that her aortic valve had narrowed, making it unable to open and close all the way. He explained that when this happens, the heart has to work harder to pump enough blood into the rest of the body; this exertion was the reason for her fatigue.

He reassured her that Southcoast Health has a team of world-class, healthcare providers – including Adam Saltzman, MD, Medical Director of Structural Heart, and specialized nurses, technicians and staff who are experienced in aortic valve repair.

“I wasn’t happy to learn I had heart disease, but when I met with Dr. Saltzman and learned that the procedure wouldn’t be too invasive, I was eager to get it done,” remembers Mary. “I immediately felt like I was in good hands with him and his team.”

A few weeks later, Dr. Saltzman repaired Mary’s valve with a minimally-invasive procedure in which a catheter is guided to the aortic valve through a blood vessel. When the tip reaches the valve, a balloon is inflated, expanding the valve. After a quick recovery, Mary felt great and was able to resume her active lifestyle and return to work. She continued to have follow-up visits with Dr. Saltzman and Dr. Lambert.

Then, in 2025, Mary began experiencing the same fatigue and weakness as before. Her care team determined that a rare but treatable problem had occurred with her valve and that she would need open-heart surgery to fix it.

Now retired but still active, Mary returned to Southcoast Health Heart & Vascular at Charlton Memorial Hospital, where cardiac surgeon Jacob Kriegel, MD performed a complex surgery to remove the old valve and place a new one. This was the most significant medical procedure of her life – requiring over a week of hospitalization – and it was an intense time.

“I was warned that recovery would be slow, but even before I got to that point things went sideways,” she recalls. Immediately following the surgery, Mary began bleeding internally and Dr. Kriegel had to go back in to stop the bleeding. She also had a brief atrial fibrillation, which was successfully treated.

Throughout her initial recovery at Charlton Memorial, Mary drew comfort from the compassionate nurses and clinical staff who cared for her, and from Dr. Kriegel, who visited every day. But what brightened her days the most were visits from her two children and six grandchildren.

Finally, once Dr. Kriegel was certain that Mary had regained her strength, she was able to return home to complete her recovery. “I was thrilled to be back home, but it still took weeks before I was comfortable,” she says. With her movement restricted, Mary relied on her family for help, especially her daughter Rachael who works as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

One of the most surprising parts of Mary’s recovery was the heart-shaped pillow she received following her surgery. At first, she thought it was just a cute memento, but then she realized it was actually therapeutic.

“I hadn’t realized how tender and painful my chest would be after the surgery – or for that matter, how many everyday activities like driving put pressure on the chest,” she says. “The pillow was a godsend. I kept it with me for weeks and was so grateful for it. I used it every day to ease the pain of driving and coughing and still use it sometimes even six months later.”

Mary learned that these pillows are gifted to every single patient who has open-heart surgery at Charlton Memorial Hospital, thanks to generous donations by individuals and companies like Robinson+Cole.

After many months, and a lot of patience, Mary knew she had finally recovered when she was able to pick up her grandson Lincoln.

“Lincoln is my newest grandchild and just had his first birthday in December. It just killed me that I couldn’t pick him up and hold him, and the day I finally was able to was truly a celebration.”

Today, at 69 years old, Mary feels gratitude instead of fatigue. “The doctors and staff at Southcoast Health took such good care of me, not just by treating my illness but also by inspiring me to take better care of my heart.” On the advice of her care team, Mary quit smoking a couple years ago and stays active babysitting Lincoln and his older brother.

“I truly feel very lucky to have gone to Southcoast Health for my care. Physically, I feel better than ever, and the peace of mind I feel about my heart is priceless.”

To make a charitable gift to help other Heart & Vascular patients on their healing journeys, please visit Giving – Southcoast Health.