Last year, I lost my mother, Merlyn Anthony to advanced heart failure. She had been living with serious heart disease for many years. My father, Dr. Robert H. Aten, had his first heart attack when he was 46 years old. He had congestive heart failure and over the years needed many surgeries, including five-way and three-way open-heart bypasses and stents to keep him alive. He lived with a pacemaker and defibrillator in his chest and we lovingly called him the “bionic man.”
You may not know that my father was in hospice at the end of his life which motivated me to work in the fields of hospice and healthcare. I work for Gilchrist, which provides hospice, elder medical care including for individuals with heart disease, counseling, and other services.
I have a heart walk team through Gilchrist and am walking in honor of all the hospice and cardiovascular medicine patients, in memory of my mother, father, and for my own good health!
I look forward to seeing you on October 26th!
