In Latoya Jordan’s world, “family comes first” is more than a mantra. It’s a way of life, as a wife and mother raising four fearless daughters.
While living in New York, Latoya learned how to be strong, determined and face challenges head-on—lessons she now instills in her own children. These traits proved useful when the Jordans resettled in the South at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But between the big move and preparing the girls for virtual school, Latoya found it difficult to squeeze in any "me time." Caring for her little ones often led to putting her own health last.
However, with two different heart conditions—a murmur and high blood pressure—the mother needed tailored care to live her fullest life.
With the help of Wellstar, Latoya got expert care to stay heart healthy, right in her new neighborhood. But beyond that, she found a trusted healthcare family that had her covered when it came to her well-being.
LatoyaCare
Published on November 11, 2021
Last updated 01:28 PM January 08, 2024
As a busy mom, I don’t have a lot of time to myself, but I wanted to be healthier for my kids and family. Now, I have my heart murmur and high blood pressure under control, and I’m going to live a long time.
- Latoya Jordan
Wellstar Heart Care Patient
Listen to Latoya's Story
Finding care during COVID-19
When the Jordans moved over 900 miles from New York to Georgia, they looked forward to catching up with family and never missing a Double Dutch jump rope match again. But COVID-19 quickly changed their plans.
“We moved at the beginning of the pandemic. It was hard getting to know a new area, but we made it. My kids couldn’t go to school for the first year,” Latoya said, explaining the stressful time.
“At the start, I didn’t have a doctor or insurance either,” she said. And, because all of her providers were based in New York, she also went without her prescription medicine for a period of time.
But when she started experiencing headaches and minor chest pains, Latoya knew it was time to get care for her heart murmur and high blood pressure.
After establishing a primary care provider, Latoya was quickly connected with specialty care at Wellstar Avalon Health Park. The mother of four was grateful to get safe care during the pandemic.
“I wasn’t afraid to go to the doctor. I was thankful to be able to get care,” Latoya said about getting treatment when she needed it most.
Here, Wellstar Cardiologist Dr. Natasha Mamdani partnered with Latoya to create a personalized treatment plan for her cardiac conditions and keep her heart healthy.
One-of-a-kind heart care
Ever since the beginning, Dr. Mamdani has been committed to creating a care plan centered around Latoya’s unique needs.
“Latoya was initially diagnosed with hypertension during her last pregnancy. After giving birth, her symptoms improved,” Dr. Mamdani said, explaining the mother’s situation. “However, she developed high blood pressure months later.”
“This can be quite common. When someone has gestational hypertension, it can often lead to having hypertension later in life,” Dr. Mamdani said.
Because of the hectic move and gap in care after leaving the Empire State, Latoya went without her medications for a few months, which caused uncontrolled hypertension.
To bring her blood pressure back down to a normal level, Dr. Mamdani prescribed heart medications that would work best for Latoya and monitored her closely. She created a tailored care plan to keep the mother feeling her best.
“Every single patient is different. Latoya’s treatment plan was built around what did and didn’t work for her,” Dr. Mamdani said about how she used PeopleCare in her approach.
“I took my blood pressure three times a day,” Latoya said, describing the plan to get her heart health under control. “Dr. Mamdani worked with me to find the right medications and dosage. I saw her every two weeks to make sure my levels were going down.”
Along with specialized care, Latoya found compassion and support from team members every time she stopped at Wellstar Avalon Health Park.
“At Wellstar, everyone is very friendly and kind. They make you feel welcome,” Latoya shared. “When I go to my appointments, everyone knows my name and remembers who I am. It feels like we’re family and we’ve known each other for a long time.”
After just a handful of visits, her blood pressure was back under control. But even with Latoya’s quick success, Dr. Mamdani encouraged her to make lasting changes to stay well in the long run.
Leaving the comfort zone
Along with medicines to manage her heart conditions, Dr. Mamdani also gave Latoya a “prescription” for health. This meant forming new, healthier habits for diet and exercise.
“When it comes to heart health, staying active is important even if it’s just walking 20 to 30 minutes a day,” Dr. Mamdani explained. “It’s also helpful to eat a diet low in carbs and animal fats like red meat.”
Having the support of the Wellstar family has been crucial during Latoya’s new wellness journey. She has learned different ways to manage her heart conditions and how to have fun along the way.
“Before trying a new food, we always do a little taste test first,” Latoya smiled. “So far, my favorite healthy food is asparagus. Our whole family loves it.”
She added, “We even have ‘Vegan Mondays’ to try a new vegan meal each week.”
With her busy schedule, Latoya has made it a point to prioritize her health needs. She is focusing on finding exercises she enjoys and doing them whenever she can.
“It’s hard to fit in exercise, but I’m trying my best,” Latoya said. “I enjoy riding my bike outside, visiting trails and new dog parks.”
All of Latoya’s willpower has led to real changes in her health.
“After finding the right medications and monitoring her diet and exercise changes, Latoya’s blood pressure is now well controlled,” Dr. Mamdani said. “I am happy with her results.”
“For physicians, it’s our job to present information in a way patients understand and are able to take home the lessons we teach them,” the cardiologist said about her role in Latoya’s journey.
Along with healthy habits, Latoya has discovered another important lesson: taking care of her own wellness needs to be there for her family longer.
“As a busy mom, I don’t have a lot of time to myself, but I wanted to be healthier for my kids and family,” Latoya said, sharing how her loved ones became her motivation.
“Now, I have my heart murmur and high blood pressure under control, and I’m going to live a long time.”
Moving forward, Latoya’s future and heart health look brighter than ever, especially with her Wellstar family by her side.
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Highlights
Aortic Experts & AI Identify Thousands with Hidden Aneurysms
Wellstar’s Comprehensive Aortic Program has identified thousands of hidden aneurysms in the past two years. The goal of the program is to help people before their conditions become life-threatening.
Aortic aneurysms are bulges in the body’s largest blood vessel. They can burst and cause severe damage or death if they become too big. Unfortunately, most people never know they have one because they are typically asymptomatic until they rupture.
However, the aortic experts at Wellstar found a way to help people before they have an emergency.
“When patients have CT scans at Wellstar for other reasons, we use artificial intelligence (AI) to sift through them and find images of someone who may have aneurysm,” said Wellstar Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. James Ryan Burke. “That allows us to proactively contact them and bring them in if appropriate for evaluation to discuss that diagnosis.”
Since the program launch in July 2022, more than 4,700 people with aneurysms have been placed under surveillance—a protocol to monitor people who have a risk. Surveillance allows people to avoid undergoing unnecessary surgery but to know when the aneurysm grows larger and becomes a greater concern.
For people who had large, potentially life-threatening aneurysms, cardiovascular surgeons and vascular surgeons performed more than 700 advanced procedures at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center since the program began.
“These are major cardiac operations only performed in centers that offer complex aortic surgery,” Dr. Burke said. “The outcomes are best when done in experienced centers that do a high volume of procedures, like Wellstar Kennestone.”
Patient-centered aortic care
“This program is very patient-oriented. We have an excellent team of dedicated physicians at Wellstar to accomplish our mission and I think it’s very beneficial for both patients and physicians,” said Dr. Michael Corey of Vascular Surgical Associates.
The aortic program at Wellstar provides a higher level of aortic care than a patient would typically find in a local hospital. What makes the program unique is:
- The multispecialty team of aortic experts working together
- The cutting-edge AI technology used to identify patients who are unaware they have an aneurysm
- A high-tech hybrid operating room (OR) for open or minimally invasive procedures
- The latest surgical techniques and technology
- A high volume of procedures performed
“The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. It runs from the heart, through the chest and abdomen and down to the legs,” said Dr. Burke. “When you have a disease process involving the aorta, it requires multiple specialties.”
Wellstar’s specialized aortic team includes cardiovascular surgeons, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, radiologists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
There is also a cardiac hybrid OR that brings a catheterization lab and surgery suite together in one space, making aortic aneurysm treatment more efficient and encouraging collaboration between our expert providers.
“The hybrid OR is a state-of-the-art, innovative, open operating room where patients can receive complex aortic reconstructions—procedures that have open surgery components to them—as well as endovascular (or minimally invasive) aortic reconstructions. This all can take place in one nice operating room,” Dr. Corey said.
The aortic program is part of a larger heart care program at Wellstar, based at Wellstar Kennestone, the first in Georgia and the fourth in the nation to receive Comprehensive Cardiac Care Center Certification by The Joint Commission and American Heart Association. This is the highest certification in cardiovascular care.
Learn more or schedule an appointment with an aortic disease specialist.
Newsroom
A Heart for Collaboration: Wellstar Cardiovascular Quality Forum 2024
PeopleCare
ChrisCare
It’s not every day that a young man survives a nearly fatal car accident and takes a victory walk through the hospital hallways to thank his care team. After suffering a rare cricotracheal separation that left Chris LoCurto unable to effectively breathe on his own, that’s exactly what happened.
Coordinated EMS & hospital care set Chris up for survival
At 22, Chris was in a car accident that caused serious injuries he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive. He fractured his jaw, clavicle and spine and his lung collapsed. His most life-threatening injury was a tracheal separation—his airway was cut in half.
EMS professionals arrived on the scene. Although Chris was talking and walking, they could hear something abnormal in his breathing. The paramedics coordinated care with Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center so the trauma team would be assembled and ready for Chris upon arrival.
“I was trying to breathe but I wasn’t getting air,” Chris said. “Going to the hospital, I was honestly thinking I wasn’t going to make it.”
How the trauma team put Chris on the road to recovery
Led by Dr. Daniella Kington, the trauma team was waiting when Chris arrived. Immediately, they intubated him so he could breathe. They used a bronchoscope, a special camera, to see inside the airway to diagnose the injury and learn important details to plan treatment.
Chris was then put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This highly-advanced machine helps the heart, lungs or both heal after extreme trauma or organ failure.
“For Chris, ECMO supported his breathing and oxygenation during the intricate surgical repair of his trachea,” said Jamie Van Ness, MBA, BSN, TCRN, director of Trauma Services at Wellstar Kennestone.
Now a Level I Trauma Center, the hospital is one of a few in Georgia that offers ECMO.
Dr. Nelson May, a head and neck trauma surgeon, was assisted by Dr. Nicholas Mildenhall to perform Chris’ tracheal repair. The surgery required the surgeons to reattach Chris’ larynx to his trachea. Then they placed a tracheostomy tube so Chris would be able to breathe, swallow and talk again.
To allow his airway to heal, Chris was sedated for a few weeks. When he woke, his injuries had been treated but he was fighting pneumonia. He was transferred to intensive care and his condition improved within a week.
Throughout his time in the hospital, Chris received the right treatment at the right time thanks to Wellstar’s multidisciplinary approach to care.
“Coming to Wellstar Kennestone made a difference in Chris' outcome,” said trauma surgeon Dr. Ginger Justice, a physician who got to know Chris on her daily rounds. “He came to a trauma center that had all the resources to care for him—pretty much from the moment he hit the Emergency Department to discharge.”&
Providing specialized trauma care
When Chris was a patient, all the specially trained doctors and advanced technology were available to help him recover from his life-threatening injuries. Shortly after, Wellstar Kennestone was verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Trauma Center, the highest level of trauma care offered.
“The first and most crucial piece [to Level I Trauma Center verification] is that we have all the different subspecialists available in one place to provide full care for our patients,” Dr. Kington said. “If a patient comes in, no matter where they’re injured, we have a subspecialist who can help with all those different injuries.”
That was exactly what Chris needed. In addition to helping people get trauma care fast, Wellstar Kennestone is home to a residency program, training the next generation of trauma doctors.
For about a month and a half, Chris recovered in the trauma unit, ICU and intensive inpatient rehabilitation. In Wellstar Kennestone’s inpatient rehab, specially trained speech, occupational and physical therapists create a specialized care plan to help each patient achieve their goals and get back to living life.
Compassionate nurses made a lasting impact on Chris
While the trauma team saved his life, Chris credits his nurses with keeping him motivated.
“Every nurse I met who came in, we ended up forming some sort of relationship,” Chris said. “They took care of me like their own. That’s not in their job title, nobody asked them to do that, which is why I’m so grateful. They went above and beyond what they get paid to do to make me better physically and mentally.”
For example, one nurse found out about Chris’ love of aviation and brought him to see an air ambulance helicopter. Another nurse shared his love for hunting and planned a reunion for Chris and his hunting companion, his dog Maddux.
“While the future was kind of unforeseen, the nurses connected with me,” Chris said. “I got to spend some time with my dog too. It was huge for my mental well-being.”
Coming back to say thanks
Chris defied the odds by walking, talking and being able to eat. Today, he’s taking steps toward a full recovery. While learning to live with a tracheostomy tube, he’s working out and increasing his cardio exercise. He spends a lot of time walking Maddux.
“I’m slowly introducing myself to normalcy again,” he said.
A crucial part of recovery was visiting the hospital and saying “thank you” to his care team.
“He and his family walked in,” Dr. Justice remembered. “I saw Chris in normal street clothes, walking with his sunglasses on. He said, ‘Hey, I’m doing great!’ To see this young man with so much potential have a good outcome was very inspiring.”
Chris made sure to thank as many care team members as possible. “Their motivation and drive to get me going is without a doubt one of the reasons I’m moving around as good as I am today,” he said.
Dr. May added, “It was gratifying to see the real-life implication of Chris’ care and to be able to participate in getting him to where he is today.”
A bright future thanks to expert trauma care
Overall, without the first-rate trauma response of Chris’ medical team at Wellstar Kennestone, he would not be where he is today—back in the wilderness with Maddux.
“The coordination of many different teams and doctors with different areas of expertise in different phases of his care allowed him to be where he is today,” Dr. May said.
Wellstar Kennestone provided the advanced care Chris needed with excellent trauma services. Now with a Level I Trauma accreditation, the trauma team can keep offering advanced care—and preparing the physicians of the future to do the same.