Bronx resident Ray Santana, 64, was told by doctors at NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx that he was three days away from suffering brain death had he not received instant intervention back in August 2023.
At the time, Santana had been a functioning alcoholic for years. He was unaware until then that the years of drinking had quietly destroyed his heart muscle, which led to him being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition in which prolonged alcohol use weakens the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively.
“They told me that if I had waited three more days, I would have been brain dead,” Santana said. “That was at the beginning of August 2023. I didn’t even know I had a disease. I thought I was a regular alcoholic.”
There was a period when Santana was unable to walk or climb stairs, struggled to breathe and suffered severe leg swelling. He was hospitalized multiple times at multiple facilities, including some episodes where he needed mechanical ventilation.
A cardiology referral brought him to Nurse Practitioner Blessy Varghese, MS, FNP, AGNP-C, CEN. According to Santana, the care she provided at the North Central Bronx Hospital’s Cardiology Clinic helped him get sober. He has now been sober for more than two years.
“Two years ago, my patient walked into our cardiology clinic struggling with severe shortness of breath and significant limitations in daily activity,” Varghese said. “Even simple tasks such as walking short distances had become exhausting. His heart was weak, and at that time, his quality of life was greatly affected. The goal was not only to treat his heart condition but also to help him regain control of his health and restore his ability to live a full life.”
Santana arrived at the hospital’s emergency room, suffering from a dangerously weak heart. While he was eventually discharged after being admitted and stabilized, continued care was needed for his condition. He was referred to NYC Health + Hospital/North Central Bronx’s Cardiology Clinic, where he began the life-changing treatment with Varghese.
“The day I went there for a cardiologist — maybe a year and a half or two years ago — that’s when I was introduced to Varghese,” Santana said. “Since the beginning, with the medication and the tests and so on, she basically helped me through whatever I had. Since the first day I met her, she was a very nice doctor.”
The care plan that Varghese developed for Santana included medicine to treat his heart failure, regular laboratory testing, close follow-up visits and meaningful habit changes. This led to Santana stopping drinking, changing his diet, monitoring his weight and getting his blood pressure under control.
“What truly made the difference was the patient’s dedication,” Varghese said. “He embraced the recommended lifestyle changes, remained highly compliant with his medications and consistently attended follow-up appointments.”
“I didn’t know my disease had taken me to a state I never thought existed — basically close to death,” Santana said. “Since then, I’ve changed people, places and things. I take it one day at a time. I haven’t drunk in two years, six months and four days.”
Thanks to Santana following Varghese’s care plan, his heart function showed significant improvement, his overall endurance went up dramatically and he was able to routinely perform activities that were previously impracticable. This all helped him lose weight, rebuild his relationship with his wife and reclaim an active life.
“The results were remarkable. Today, he is able to go to the gym, exercise regularly and carry out his daily activities without limitation. He enjoys his family time and his vacations,” Varghese said.
“He has begun working out. With the medications, his endurance really came back. He’s really happy now. He enjoys coming to the clinic and has built a relationship with everybody there. Whenever he comes in, he literally lights up the whole clinic — he even stops by other departments just to say hi. He thought he wouldn’t make it at one point, but now he’s really happy about how things turned out.”
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx recommends that anyone suffering from similar conditions to call their Cardiology Clinic at (718)-519-3310.
