萝莉社

Leigh and Chuck Jacobs are comfortable with their morning routine. It often begins with a phone call, since the couple splits their time between houses in Florida and Maryland. Working in the insurance business, Leigh is based in Fernandina and Chuck is a small business owner in the Mid-Atlantic. Although many miles apart, for weeks at a time, the couple鈥檚 bond runs deep and they always try to start each morning with a daily devotion. The day-to-day pattern is familiar but delightful and gives them time together before going their separate ways.

Not far from Leigh in Jacksonville, Florida, married cardiologists, Fabiana Rollini, MD, and Francesco Franchi, MD, share a similar morning moment with a family breakfast and heading to work to care for patients 鈥� Rollini at 萝莉社 Jacksonville and Franchi at 萝莉社 North.

The two couples had no way of knowing in March 2023 that their lives would intersect to have a lasting impact.

Leigh typically takes time for herself after most morning calls with Chuck to run several miles in her Amelia Concourse neighborhood. But what started as a common activity soon turned to something unexpected. As she began her jog, an unusual pressure settled on her chest, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn鈥檛 quite right. Trusting her instincts, she called her daughter, a nurse, who immediately advised her to go to the closest ER or urgent care.

When her local urgent care wasn鈥檛 open yet, Leigh made the decision to drive herself to the Emergency Department at 萝莉社 North, where she was assessed and then admitted. It wasn鈥檛 long before a cardiology resident noted an anomaly in Leigh鈥檚 EKG reading, prompting a consult with Franchi. He explained that Leigh needed a cardiac catheterization to measure blood pressure and oxygen levels in her heart to see if she had any coronary artery blockages. Additionally, he explained that once the catherization was complete, she may require a stent to be implanted to keep her coronary artery open.

Trusting Her Instincts

Leigh is known for being cautious when it comes to her health care. 鈥淚 like to get all the facts before making decisions, so I called my daughter again,鈥� Leigh said. 鈥淢y daughter completely trusted Dr. Franchi鈥檚 judgement and reassured me they wouldn鈥檛 propose a procedure like that unless it was absolutely necessary.鈥�

Confident she was ready to move forward, Leigh called Chuck, who was working in Maryland that week, to let him know the situation and that she was scheduled for the procedure the next morning.

Once up to speed, but still hundreds of miles away, Chuck immediately booked the first flight to Jacksonville to be by his wife鈥檚 side the next day. Arriving at Jacksonville International Airport just a few miles from 萝莉社 North, he went straight to Leigh鈥檚 hospital room. Although Chuck was quite anxious because of his wife鈥檚 procedure, he also began to feel something strange. There was a tingling in his chest, followed by a sense of sickness that only worsened as the minutes ticked by.

Another Cardiac Event

Leigh who was just waking up from surgery, immediately noticed that something was very wrong with Chuck. 鈥淵ou look terrible, Honey,鈥� she said, instinctively sensing that her husband was in trouble. Chuck agreed and Leigh quickly called for a nurse who rushed to her room and immediately recognized his symptoms as a complex, major cardiac event. Within minutes, he was swiftly stabilized and transferred by ambulance to 萝莉社 Jacksonville鈥檚 downtown campus.

The transfer to 萝莉社 Jacksonville was fast. Chuck was admitted and placed in the care of Madeline Mahowald, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist. Staffed by internationally recognized leaders in cardiac care, research and education, the 萝莉社 Cardiovascular Center is renowned for treating patients with complex diseases and being on the forefront of interventional cardiology.

Mahowald performed a catheterization to open his blocked arteries and restore blood flow to Chuck鈥檚 heart. While Chuck鈥檚 condition was stabilized, further observation revealed that his heart wasn鈥檛 strong enough for major heart surgery. As a result, a second catherization procedure was done by Calvin Choi, MD, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Families United by Heart Care

While still in recovery during Chuck鈥檚 operation, Leigh met Fabiana Rollini, MD, cardiologist and medical director of inpatient services. Their conversation revealed a remarkable coincidence 鈥� Rollini was married to Franchi, the cardiologist who had recommended Leigh鈥檚 heart care just days earlier. It wasn鈥檛 lost on Leigh that her journey had brought their two families together at just the right time.

鈥淒r. Rollini was so kind,鈥� Leigh said. 鈥淪he talked about her own family and it put me at ease knowing she and her husband worked together on such an experienced team of heart doctors.鈥�

After several days of monitoring, both Leigh and Chuck were cleared for discharge. Despite their shared health crises, the couple was thankful to be returning home. Leigh鈥檚 practical nature once again took over and she made the decision to take her recovery one step at a time with a long-term goal of running when the time was right. Chuck was encouraged to slow down and decided to find more balance between his busy work schedule and time at home resting with family.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been blessed,鈥� Chuck said, smiling as he reflected on their situation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not every day two people get a second chance at life in the same week. We鈥檙e back to our routine but at a much slower pace and we鈥檙e more grateful than ever for each day together with our children and grandchildren.鈥�