Open-heart milestones

At St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute, reaching 20,000 open-heart procedures is not just a number — it’s a commitment to excellence.

Wes Bowen

Wes Bowen was a firefighter with the City of Huntington in 2015 when his life suddenly changed forever.

Bowen collapsed in the fire station and woke up at Marshall Health Network - St. Mary’s Medical Center. He had suffered a heart attack, resulting in open-heart surgery. He would spend the next 48 days in the hospital, recovering and relearning how to walk.

When he left the hospital, Bowen had a new valve in his heart and a new passion for service to his community, leading him to his current position as a nurse at the very hospital that saved his life.

Bowen is one of 20,000 lives changed at the St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute. The 20,000th procedure was completed in October 2025, highlighting nearly 50 years of excellence in cardiovascular care for the Tri-State region.

“Reaching 20,000 open-heart procedures is not just a number—it’s a legacy,” said Angie Swearingen, president of St. Mary’s. “This achievement highlights the dedication of our team and reinforces our mission and commitment to provide exceptional care for every patient, every day.”

Whether a patient arrives in the Emergency Department with a surprise heart attack or they’ve been monitoring their heart’s atrial fibrillation for years, the Regional Heart Institute provides a comprehensive, award-winning continuum of care for cardiovascular issues, from diagnosis through rehabilitation and recovery – all close to home.

“Access to advanced heart surgery, including state-of-the-art technology, highly trained specialists, and comprehensive health care in the local community, gives a patient confidence that world-class care is available to them without traveling too far,” said Nepal Chowdhury, MD, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Marshall Health Network. “This strengthens the health and well-being of the entire community.”

When specialized care is available close to home, patients also receive the emotional support of family and friends, which Chowdhury said can have a substantial impact on a person’s recovery. Bowen experienced that support firsthand.

“The whole community came together to support me,” Bowen said. “People made T-shirts while I was in here, and I still see some of the staff members wearing them today.”

Tim Millne

For some patients, like Tim Millne, the journey to open-heart surgery unfolds over several years. Millne had undergone many catheterizations and stent placements, yet he still felt “vapor locked” and struggled to breathe. In spring 2023, he had another
stent installed but continued to experience symptoms.

“(Dr. Mark Studeny) scheduled me in December to have another catheterization,” Millne said. “I was expecting another stent. I wasn’t expecting the doctor to say they wouldn’t stent because the damage was too bad. It was life-altering.”

Millne instead had triple-bypass surgery, which he says saved his life.

“I would say that I was kind of overwhelmed in the beginning,” he said. “Then, when they came in and told me what all was going to go on, I went to being scared.”

Thankfully, the team at St. Mary’s went above and beyond to help Millne through his surgery and recovery. The team explained every detail of the plan to him and his family. He met with a psychologist to help him process what he had gone through post-surgery. From post-op to physical therapy, Millne said, someone was always willing to go the extra mile.

“The nurses came in to see me often, and I didn’t have to ask them,” he said. “They just looked at me and said, ‘We got you.’ (My nurse) Seth was a big guy, and I needed to get up out of bed to go to the bathroom. He just bear-hugged me and got me out of bed. His wife, Sarah, was my head nurse, and she was awesome. Elizabeth, my head evening nurse, was amazing, as well.”

Hgtn Fire Chief Greg Fuller

Like Millne, Huntington Fire Chief Greg Fuller’s heart condition developed over time. For Fuller, it came down to a matter of trust in deciding where to seek care. Fuller had a known heart murmur, which he had been tracking with his doctor for 20 years before it required repair in 2020. After researching hospitals, including outside the area, he chose Chowdhury and St. Mary’s. Knowing he would receive top-quality care reduced his fear, he said.

Fuller made a commitment to himself: if he walked into the hospital, he would walk out. Jonathan Clark, his exercise physiologist, helped him achieve that goal.

“I will always hold him in high regard as being someone who’s responsible for not only adding more years to my life, but as he used to tell me when he had me on the treadmill or a bicycle, ‘I’m going to add more life to your years.’”

During Bowen’s extended hospital stay, it was the care team that inspired him.

“When I eventually got to the step-down unit, Sean Staples was my nurse, and we just bonded,” Bowen said. “He would take me outside, which was amazing at the time. Just the sunshine – you see it through the window, but it’s different when you haven’t felt it in a long time. He didn’t have to do that, but he went above and beyond his job to take care of me.”

Bowen says he carries that experience with him today as he cares for his patients.

“I really enjoyed my job as a fireman, but being here so long, I thought something I could do is be a nurse,” he said. “I went back to school and got my RN, then St. Mary’s hired me in the emergency room. I’ve been here ever since.”

Lori Day

Not every patient expects to become one. Lori Day works daily with Chowdhury as a patient service representative and never imagined she would find herself on the other side of care. But in 2024, following gallbladder surgery, she began to feel a burning sensation in her chest. She assumed it was related to her surgery, but additional symptoms, including nausea and vomiting, led her to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a heart attack.

“As a woman, my symptoms were very subtle,” Day said. “If you have symptoms like indigestion or shoulder, arm or jaw pain, just check with your doctor because it can be very serious and you don’t even have a clue.”

Day said her experience also shapes how she performs her job.

“I sympathize with patients more when they come in and say their chest hurts,” she said. “I know it does.”

Chowdhury said having a great team is the foundation of the Regional Heart Institute.

“It is a coordinated effort, where everyone must function well with precision, trust and constant communication,” Chowdhury said. “Success of the complex operation depends on the strength of the entire team.”

Dr. Nepal Chowdhury, SMMC President Angie Swearingen and Dr. Richard Heuer celebrate the 20k heart milestone

Chowdhury said that being part of the team that has reached this milestone is both a privilege and a big responsibility.

“Every time I enter the operating room, I am entrusted with something incredibly precious - a human life and the heart that sustains it,” he said. “And I feel my profound responsibility to do my best. But every successful surgery and post-operative recovery is not an individual achievement. I deeply appreciate the whole team effort.”

As the field continues to evolve to make heart surgery safer and more effective, Chowdhury and the team at St. Mary’s will continue to deliver longer, healthier lives to patients.

For more information about the St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute, visit st-marys.org/heart or call 304.526.6029. 

Watch their testimonials here.