Volunteers’ success rooted in empathy

Gerald Grossman and Greg Lowe have been on the receiving end of the chest surgeon's scalpel, so they understand the fear and uncertainty of being treated for life-threatening heart conditions.

As volunteers with The Mended Hearts Inc., the two make dozens of visits a week to patients being treated for heart problems, sharing what they have experienced in hopes of helping others.

With heart disease the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability, Lowe and Grossman stay busy.

"This disease has stopped me," said Alease Tatum, 80, of Petersburg, who was at VCU Medical Center this week for a cardiovascular procedure. Grossman, toting two bags filled with brochures on heart care, stopped to chat with Tatum and her daughter, Patricia Tatum.

"You are going to beat this thing," Grossman, 70, told Tatum. He used his own story as an example of recovery. He had heart-valve replacements at age 30 and 60.

The visit with the Tatums was brief but long enough for Grossman to provide brochures and to leave his business card, offering himself as a resource.

Lowe focuses his visits on patients waiting for heart transplants. He had a heart transplant in September 2000, after suffering a heart attack in 1997 and waiting 15 months for a donor heart.

"The doctors can tell them what they are going to do to them; I can tell them what they are going to go through," Lowe said.

. He spends as much time with patients and families as they want, coming in the middle of the night if called and paying special attention to patients who don't have family in the area.

Research suggests that support provided by groups like The Mended Hearts can help patients improve their outlook and maybe even shorten how long they are hospitalized.

The American Heart Association has recognized the Central Virginia Mended Hearts chapter for the number of patient visits made, for the support provided to events like the Heart Walk fundraiser, and for expanding its reach with efforts like Mended Little Hearts for children with heart problems.

"They are just a real force in helping families in the Richmond area," said Michelle Nostheide, spokeswoman for the American Heart Association's Greater Richmond chapter.

Contact Tammie Smith at (804) 649-6572 or .