Patient Outcomes: The day she had a heart attack, Janice Weaver was in Burlington, North Carolina, to attend a regional meeting of the Antique Automobile Club of America. She was alone in a hotel room, three hours from home, when she felt a sharp pain between her shoulder blades, then a tingling sensation in her arms. Weaver didn’t think it was serious, but to be safe, she drove herself to Cone Health’s Alamance Regional Medical Center. Even though she’s only 34, Weaver was having a massive heart attack brought on by a rare condition known as spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Muhammad Arida, MD, performed an emergency cardiac catheterization, and it showed that the dissection affected Weaver’s left main coronary artery. An open- heart Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) was needed to save her life. Dr. Arida rode with Weaver in Cone Health’s CareLink ambulance to Moses Cone Hospital. There, Steven Hendrickson, MD, bypassed two arteries to the heart. Surviving a near-fatal heart attack at 34 Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting 20 CONE HEALTH | HEART AND VASCULAR CENTER “Janice was young and healthy, and she had no history of heart problems before this happened,” Hendrickson says. “Thankfully, she sought help quickly, and we were able to restore blood flow to the heart.” After six days in the hospital, Weaver returned with her family to her hometown of Pinetops, North Carolina. She’s attending cardiac rehab classes and returned to the antique car show scene. The Heart and Vascular Center holds a top 100 hospitals in the nation rating for medical excellence in Coronary Bypass Surgery from CareChex (2018). “Since performing our first bypass surgery in 1971, thousands of people in our community have been able to return to a normal, active life. We’re committed to providing them with quality care every step of the way.” - Steven Hendrickson, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Cone Health. “It was scary, but I always felt like I was in good hands. All of my doctors and nurses were so kind and reassuring. I still remember all their names.” — Janice Weaver 21 CONE HEALTH | THE NETWORK FOR EXCEPTIONAL CARE For three generations, Janice Weaver's family has shared a love of antique cars. After recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, Weaver is attending car tours and shows again.