Heart Patient Forms Bond With Caregivers and Others

At 31 years old, Kenneth Williams was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. For 12 years, heart failure medicine kept his health under control.

Unfortunately, in 2011, he needed an left ventricular assist device (LVAD). For the first three years, he was doing well on the LVAD. He is now on the transplant list, waiting for a heart.

Last week Williams visited Cleveland Clinic for a routine checkup and received a surprise visit from his care team, celebrating with a cake to recognize five years since he received the LVAD. Functioning on the LVAD for that long and never needing to be readmitted in that time is quite a milestone.

"I’m comfortable with all my caregivers. It’s like seeing an old friend. I can tell them what I’m feeling when I can’t tell my wife. I don’t want her to be more worried or see me as weak.”

“Over time, we as physicians develop a relationship with our patients,” says Dr. Mazen Hanna, a member of the department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic's Heart & Vascular Institute, who has known Williams for seven years. “We talk about fears and aspirations. We develop a personal bond. I truly care about Williams’ wellbeing.”

The strong bond develops from both ends.

“I’m comfortable with all my caregivers,” says Williams. “It’s like seeing an old friend. I can tell them what I’m feeling when I can’t tell my wife. I don’t want her to be more worried or see me as weak.”

For the past five years, Ken has volunteered to speak with more than 100 patients considering or using an LVAD.

“People I speak with are terrified. But they feel better after seeing and talking to someone who survived the surgery and is living a full life with the LVAD,” says Williams.

Williams’ health doesn’t bring him down – he’s a full-time barber and has five children. This year he is traveling to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida as well as to Miami and Punta Cana.