By Dan Trudeau
When Richard Chang was working on a team of engineers that successfully developed the first permanent artificial heart in 1982, he didn’t think ahead to the possibility that he might one day need medical attention for his own heart.
But after surviving a potentially fatal heart attack and undergoing bypass surgery July 7 at Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park, the Salt Lake City resident and native of China said he will never again take his health for granted.
“Even when I’m doing the research before, I never think that’s going to happen to me. I think I’m immune,” said Chang, 66, who was on the East Coast on a cruise with his wife and a group of longtime friends when he experienced low blood pressure and feelings of weakness. At the time, he didn’t have any suspicion that his life might be in danger.
But after coming to Manhattan to visit an old friend from high school, Chang was unable to lift himself out of a chair in his friend’s kitchen, causing him to suspect something was seriously wrong. He was rushed to LIJ, where doctors ran tests and prepared him for surgery, which they successfully completed July 7, shortly after Chang’s arrival.
“He had a heart attack that was caused by an aneurysm in his right coronary artery,” said Bart Steinberg, director of LIJ’s Coronary Care Unit and one of a team of doctors who worked on Chang’s recovery. “Unfortunately, a lot of heart attacks are confused for something else, such as indigestion or arthritic pain.”
Chang was one of more than 100 medical technicians who worked on the artificial heart which sustained the life of patient Barney Clark for 112 days in 1982, LIJ spokeswoman Michelle Pinto said.
Sitting in his hospital room last Thursday with his wife, Stella, and two children Terry, 33, and Mike, 27, the candid and charismatic engineer was sure that a positive attitude and the help of LIJ heart experts would help him recover and continue his productive life with a new appreciation for rest and relaxation.
“Our generation, the first generation, comes (to the United States) and it’s work, work, work. … Try to get ahead, ahead, ahead. There has to be more to life,” Chang said. “We all try very hard to get success, but you have to take care of yourself, too.”
Chang’s children followed interesting paths to return to their ailing father. Terry, a medical student in Birmingham, Ala., and Mike, a designer who lives in Norway but was vacationing in Italy when he heard of his father’s surgery, both dropped everything and flew to New York within a day of receiving the news.
In addition to his family’s support, Chang said he might not have survived without the excellent care he received at LIJ, something he said his medical background enabled him to appreciate.
Chang said the selfless attitudes of the doctors, the top-rate technology and team-oriented approach of the hospital were responsible for saving his life.
“I wish to go to the community and say, ‘Go. Check up on your body. Don’t trust yourself,’” he said. “God blessed me to get here. I hope the people in this area use this hospital; it’s fantastic. The talent, the equipment is all fantastic.”
Chang’s wife, Stella, was relieved that her husband, who was equipped with a pacemaker last week was recovering well. She said his case could be a lesson to those who do not visit the doctor regularly.
“I had no idea it was a heart attack,” she said. “It’s important you don’t wait until something happens.”
Reach reporter Dan Trudeau by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
