From Trials to Travels, It’s a Full Life
If you’ve ever been to East Ellijay, chances are you’ve heard of Oscar Poole. He and his wife, Edna, own Poole’s BBQ. The restaurant is not only popular with locals, but it has also been a hot campaign stop for many well-known politicians. A generous man by nature, Poole would give the shirt off his back to help a friend or neighbor. But in August 2009, he wondered if he might lose more than his shirt. The 81 year old had a stroke.
“It altered my lifestyle to say the least,” says Poole, who suffers from a condition known as aortic stenosis, which caused his aortic valve to not open and close properly, limiting blood flow from the heart. “I love to travel, and I wasn’t able to do as much of that as I would have liked. My cardiologists told me an operation would be too risky at my age and with my condition.”
One year after his stroke, Poole’s cardiologist, Ted Monitz, M.D., with Piedmont Heart Institute, told him about the Medtronic CoreValve® U.S. clinical trial which was about to be available at Piedmont Hospital and 39 other hospitals across the United States. The trial would evaluate a revolutionary non-surgical, less-invasive procedure as a treatment alternative to open-heart surgery for patients with Poole’s condition.
Fast forward to January 13, 2011. Poole had a heart attack visiting Florida. When Poole returned to Georgia, Dr. Monitz sent him to Piedmont Hospital for further evaluation. Vivek Rajagopal, M.D., interventional cardiologist with Piedmont Heart Institute, performed a balloon angioplasty procedure to clear a 90 percent blockage near his heart. However, the procedure would only provide temporary relief. Poole would need a replacement aortic valve if he was to expect a full recovery.
“With an estimated 5 percent of people over 65 experiencing some form of aortic stenosis, there is significant need for new treatment options that do not involve invasive surgery,” says Dr. Rajagopal, M.D., an interventional cardiologist with Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians and principal investigator for the CoreValve trial.
Thanks to Piedmont and the treatment he received, Poole is back to enjoying life as usual in East Ellijay. When he’s not visiting with customers at his restaurant or traveling, he can be found online, blogging about his life. Poole also is finishing a new book, appropriately titled I Talked to Death and Said NO!
In a classic display of his well-known generosity, Poole recently hosted a party for those involved in his care at his restaurant in East Ellijay. A barbeque lunch was held in their honor, and Poole decorated with signs bearing the names of his doctors and nurses.
“I have a new lease on life thanks to Piedmont,” he says. “I’m so grateful for the people who cared for me and happy I can say thank you in a small, but unique, way.”
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