As a young, lively working mom of three, Tina Gocke always considered herself
a healthy person. Yes, she had occasional migraines and fatigue, but she
chalked those symptoms up to a busy life.
Tina’s life changed in September 2017, when she was outside playing
with her kids. Suddenly she was unable to hold her water bottle –
it dropped from her hand, and she began slurring her speech. Tina was
rushed to a nearby hospital where she was diagnosed with a transient ischemic
attack (TIA), or a “mini-stroke”, and was then released to
return home and “carry on as usual.”
In the days that followed, Tina made an appointment with her doctor, Elana
Sheldon, MD, to get a second opinion. After careful review, Dr. Sheldon
referred Tina to Azhil Durairaj, MD, medical director of cardiology at
Huntington Hospital.
Dr. Durairaj quickly diagnosed the culprit of Tina’s mini-stroke
as an atrial septal defect. Tina had a hole in her heart. She was shocked.
“Of all the things I ever feared happening to me, this was not one
of them. How could it be that my heart had a defect and I never knew it?”
Tina came to Huntington Hospital in November 2017 for a procedure to correct
the flaw in the wall between her heart’s atria. “I’m
so thankful for the team at Huntington Hospital,” she says. “Dr.
Durairaj made sure I was clear on everything, and all of the nurses were
fantastic. They make you feel comfortable with what’s happening;
they really care.”
With her heart repaired, Tina now considers her experience as a blessing
in disguise. Her migraines have eased and she is feeling an amazing difference
in her energy and endurance. “I have three small children and a
husband. Not only do I need them, but they need me! I look at life and
the importance of heart health differently now that Huntington Hospital
gave me a second chance.”