{"id":7424,"date":"2026-07-05T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7424"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:30:00","slug":"a-veterans-second-chance-lifesaving-heart-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7424","title":{"rendered":"A Veteran\u2019s second chance: Lifesaving heart care"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-07-05T18:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lifesaving, coordinated VA heart care saved an Army Veteran\u2019s life after a critical arterial blockage was discovered<\/h2>\n<p>For years, Army Veteran Richard Boda brushed off the growing fatigue, shortness of breath and aching in his arms. He figured it was simply part of getting older, and like many Veterans, he wasn\u2019t eager to visit a doctor. It wasn\u2019t until his wife encouraged him to seek medical attention that he finally agreed. That decision changed, and likely saved, his life.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The importance of seeking care early and the life\u2011changing impact of VA\u2019s specialized cardiology services<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI first saw Richard in December 2025, and he was having pretty classic angina, so I referred him for a heart catheterization at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/ann-arbor-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Ann Arbor VA Medical Center<\/a> (AAVA),\u201d said Dr. Claire Duvernoy, CARDIO-VET Network\u00a0cardiologist at the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=Aleda+E.+Lutz+VA+Medical+Center\">Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/saginaw-health-care\/locations\/aleda-e-lutz-department-of-veterans-affairs-medical-center\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Saginaw, M<\/a>ichigan. \u201cThe results confirmed severe three-vessel coronary artery disease.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Dr. Duvernoy consulted with Dr. Barry Deatrick, cardiac surgeon, from AAVA who reviewed Boda\u2019s history. Together, they evaluated every possible option and mapped out the safest surgical approach, and he was immediately set up for a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Every day after surgery, Boda\u2019s doctors stopped by to check on him, explain what they had done, and walk him through each stage of his recovery. Their steady communication and genuine compassion helped calm the fear he felt early on. \u201cIt turned out to be a great experience, even though I was scared at first,\u201d Boda explained. \u201cThe doctors and medical staff took such good care of me. I couldn\u2019t ask for anything more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The support continued even after he returned home. \u201cThey checked in the very day I was discharged,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t speak highly enough about them. Their care was 100% outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Significant progress<\/h2>\n<p>Today, Boda works hard on his recovery. He participates in physical therapy, completes weekly telehealth check\u2011ins, tracks his meals, and exercises and performs daily cardiac rehabilitation routines. He jokes about not liking hospitals, but he takes his health much more seriously now. \u201cI want to be here for my grandbabies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He has made significant progress. The shortness of breath has eased, his aching arms have improved and he reports having more energy. Boda remains committed to \u201cstayin\u2019 the course\u201d so he can eventually return to his work as a commercial fisherman. His recovery may take months, or even up to a year, but he is determined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was always healthy. They said my lungs looked like a 16\u2011year\u2011old\u2019s, but my heart was not good,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just grateful they caught it. I\u2019m grateful for what I have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An important message for other Veterans, especially those in rural areas. CARDIO\u2011VET is an enterprise\u2011wide initiative in partnership with the VA Office of Rural Health, and it\u2019s focused on providing high\u2011quality cardiology care to rural Veterans by leveraging the hub &amp; spoke model.<\/p>\n<p>Visit<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ruralhealth.va.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\"> VA Rural Health<\/a> to learn more. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/147794\/a-veterans-second-chance-lifesaving-heart-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coordinated VA heart care and the CARDIO VET network provided lifesaving treatment for an Army Veteran after a critical arterial blockage was discovered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Veteran\u2019s second chance: Lifesaving heart care - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Coordinated VA heart care and the CARDIO VET network provided lifesaving treatment for an Army Veteran after a critical arterial blockage was discovered.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7424\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Veteran\u2019s second chance: Lifesaving heart care - 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