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It was a happy time, driving his daughter backto Brooklyn from Pittsburgh. Joseph Klimko, 62,was thrilled to spend that time with her and toarrive in Brooklyn to see his grandchildren graduatefrom their schools. But when he woke up ongraduation morning and felt familiar pains in hisjaw, neck and right arm, he knew he wasn’t goingto make the graduation ceremonies.He needed to get to a hospital fast.His daughter called 911.Six years earlier, he had experiencedthe same set of painsand wound up undergoing acardiac catheterization andangioplasty. He was sure thathis heart was in trouble again,yet because his symptoms wereatypical—heart issues don’t usuallypresent in the jaw—he wasworried that the concerns abouthis heart would be dismissed. When hearrived at New York Methodist Hospital, herealized that he had nothing to worry about. “Whatimpressed me most was that they listened. I toldthem about my concerns about my heart and theylistened to what I was saying rather than justfollowing a prescribed list of symptoms,” saysMr. Klimko.While in the Emergency Department, Mr. Klimkowas evaluated by cardiologist Hajir Dilmanian, M.D.“Here was a man who had high blood pressure,high cholesterol, and diabetes. Because of hisprevious heart history, I knew that we needed toget his cardiac health evaluated immediately,”Dr. Dilmanian recalls.“I remember Dr. Dilmanian reading my testresults and telling me, ‘let’s go.’ He had personallypatientjoseph klimkodiagnosisCoronary Heart DiseaseareasEmergency DepartmentCardiologywalked me up to the New York Methodist-Cornell Heart Center EKG/Stress Test lab wheretesting started right away. Then he walked me tomeet with Terrence Sacchi, M.D., chief of cardiology,and arranged for the cardiac catheterization,”Mr. Klimko says.“The catheterization showed that therewere significant blockages in a numberof Mr. Klimko’s arteries. It was clearthat he that needed immediateattention” remembers Dr. Sacchi,“and we made sure that ithappened.”“By that evening, I wasin the cardiac catheterizationlaboratory room with Dr. Sacchi,getting my first set of stents,which open up blood flow inthe arteries. I have never experiencedsuch personal and dedicatedservice,” recounts Mr. Klimko. Thefollowing Monday, Dr. Sacchi insertedanother set of stents, and shortly thereafter,Mr. Klimko was discharged.He is now back in Pittsburgh and his health isbeing monitored by doctors there. But he knowsthat it is the doctors in Brooklyn who saved hislife. “I was amazed at how quickly I was evaluatedand treated. Such quick responsiveness is rare.Dr. Sacchi and Dr. Dilmanian provided me with topnotchmedical care; and the nurses were amazing.My whole experience at New York MethodistHospital was terrific—from the EmergencyDepartment to interventional cardiology to thenursing staff. Everyone was courteous and professional.The doctors were a very good team; I justcan’t say enough.”care