Wholehearted Patience Experience at Lee Health's Shipley Cardiothoracic Center

Back in 2019, Don Grondin was having difficulties breathing when doing normal everyday tasks, such as walking around his home or lifting objects. Don was later triaged in Englewood since no solutions could be found. For several months, he was in pain and lost all hope in recovering. He was 76 at the time. 

His daughter, Jill Hinely, Physicians Representative for Shipley Cardiothoracic Center, refused to let her dad give up. 

Jill made a phone call to Mikaela Smith, a nurse navigator for the Shipley Center at the time, and scheduled an appointment with two expert providers. Within a week, they found the root cause of his heart failure and had a Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) done. 

The result? Don felt a night and day difference!

"My experience with Shipley was amazing and perfect. It worked out better than I had thought it would,” says Don. “I'm quite elated with the experience and I switched all my doctors down there. I'm still feeling really good, two years later!"

Don is incredibly grateful to Dr. Murali Muppala and all the staff at Shipley because he can now live a fun and active life with his beloved grandchildren and precious boat.  

“Mikaela always reached out to me to check in and went above and beyond for my family. The staff treated us like family,” says Jill. “Because of the people at Shipley, my dad made a huge comeback and can enjoy his life at the age of 78.”

Lee Health takes pride in our Shipley Cardiothoracic Center, especially when it comes to quality of care and innovation. 

Located at HealthPark Medical Center in Fort Myers, our group has a long-standing reputation as a minimally invasive center of excellence. Beginning with valve surgery more than 10 years ago, our program has expanded to include robotic heart surgery, transcatheter valve repair and replacement and hybrid surgery for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. 

Thank you, Don and Jill, for letting us share your story of our amazing staff!

Has someone on our Lee Health staff made a difference for you or gone the extra mile to help you feel better?

Share your story here.