TRAVERSE CITY — A reality check for a Traverse City Man after he unexpectedly underwent open heart surgery.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Symptoms range from chest and arm pain to shortness of breath and fatigue. For patient Gary Brandt, he didn’t experience symptoms until he had a very critical medical event.
“Live every day to its fullest. That’s what I’m doing. But I’m also taking care of my body,” he said. “I can’t believe this is happening. 52 years old. I am having a heart attack, and I was told that I’m having a triple bypass today.”
Gary Brandt is the Executive Chef at Reflect Bistro in Traverse City. He was told after a recent physical that ‘everything looked great.’ Until he was on his way to work one morning in July of 2023, he says he experienced extreme sweating and chest pain. A co-worker took Gary to the hospital, where he found out what was really going on.
“I was scared. didn’t know what was happening. And everybody at Munson was amazing. And they reassured me that everything was going to be okay. And I was like, that’s all I needed to hear.”
Gary went into surgery before seeing his family. The surgery lasted around 4 hours. Dr. Brandon Wojcik, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon and his team worked to unblock Gary’s 3 main arteries.
“My mother had just passed three years ago, and I opened my eyes and I was like, ‘Well, it’s not my mom.’ It was more of a relief that I was alive.”
Gary had his procedure done at Munson’s Webber Heart Center. They help people through surgery and recovery.
“We typically…probably do, maybe 10 to 15 emergency bypass surgeries a year. A lot of times, this is more of an elective setting for patients who are diagnosed. But Gary kind of built that bucket where we did this in the middle of a massive heart attack. So, he did very well and he’s had a really great recovery since then.”
Now, almost two years since his surgery, Gary said this experience changed his life. Now he is watching what he eats and prioritizing exercise.
“So, this is what we like to see, and, I mean, from your perspective as a patient, I mean, what was this whole experience like for you?” asked Dr. Wojcik.
“It was life-changing, obviously. It was a wake-up call, I guess. You know, there are certain things that you’ve got to change in your lifestyle if you want to live. It was a wake-up call. You even said it. So, you were like I get in the business that you’re in and it was like, ‘Okay, well, I got to change it.’”
Gary wants to spread his message to others that if you think you need to make a change in your lifestyle, start now.