Johnny “Bow” Matthews was preparing for bed when he felt a tightness in his chest he just couldn’t shake.
He tried to sleep, but chest pains wouldn’t let him drift off. He attempted to wake his wife, Deidra, but she wouldn’t budge.
The mother of two had been up and about all day, from preparing breakfast early in the morning to putting the kids in bed after dinner.
“I told her, ‘Hey, something’s wrong,’ but she was sleeping too deeply and wasn’t comprehending.”
Bow couldn’t afford to wait. As the pain and discomfort worsened, he dressed and drove to the emergency department at Wellstar Cobb Medical Center.
Article Category: PeopleCare
Wholehearted Healthcare
MatthewsCare
Published On August 11, 2020
Last updated 09:26 AM January 24, 2024
The Matthews family (pictured left to right: Bow, Canon, Chase and Deidra Matthews).
The most influential thing you can do for your health is to improve your lifestyle in terms of diet, exercise and losing weight. Usually, that is more powerful than any medicine that I can give you.
- Dr. Ravi Edupuganti
Wellstar Cardiologist
Listen to Bow's Story
The next morning, Deidra called out to Bow and got no answer.
“I saw his name light up on my phone. I picked it up and said, ‘Where are you?’ He told me he was in the emergency room. Then I became scared out of my mind.”
Overnight, Bow was diagnosed with a type of congestive heart failure called cardiomyopathy, where the muscle in the heart can enlarge, thicken or stiffen, leading to heart failure, irregular heartbeats and other complications.
There might be no symptoms in the early stages of cardiomyopathy. As the condition progresses, symptoms begin to manifest, such as shortness of breath, fatigue, rapid and fluttering heartbeats and chest discomfort—all of which Bow was experiencing.
Empowered decisions
Months after Bow’s diagnosis, Wellstar Cardiologist Dr. Ravi Edupuganti checked Bow’s heart function again. It still hadn’t improved enough.
“Only 50% of cardiomyopathy patients live beyond five years,” Dr. Edupuganti said, relaying the grim statistic. “I recommended that Bow get a defibrillator implanted. This would help him live longer.”
“I asked, ‘What other options are there?” Bow explained. “Thankfully, Dr. Edupuganti gave me another path to consider.”
“The most influential thing you can do for your health is to improve your lifestyle,” Dr. Edupuganti stressed.
Bow reiterated that he and Dr. Edupuganti had an excellent physician-patient relationship, and he really felt heard.
“We had such a great rapport,” Bow emphasized. “He gave me my options, and we talked about how to move forward. Dr. Edupuganti keeps me honest about my new lifestyle changes with diet and exercise. I couldn't imagine going to any other cardiologist. He let me know I was empowered, and it was completely my choice.”
From failure to success
At Dr. Edupuganti’s suggestion, Bow chose to attend the Heart Failure Academy at Wellstar, a free, four-week course at Wellstar for patients and their family members. The Academy is aimed at giving patients and their support system the tools to make the lifestyle changes necessary to manage their condition and keep them out of the hospital.
The Academy was everything Bow needed, and then some.
“I followed all the steps that the Heart Failure Academy provided. I changed my lifestyle, improved my diet and exercise, and I’m proud to say I’ve lost 83 pounds since my diagnosis.”
Then when Dr. Edupuganti checked Bow’s heart again months later, its function had improved so much that a defibrillator was no longer necessary.
“I remember how happy I was telling him and the huge smile that lit up his face. All his hard work had paid off,” said Dr. Edupuganti.
After starting his treatment, Bow even noticed an improvement with other health issues—and one of them made Deidra very thankful.
“I had sleep apnea, but after attending the Academy, I lost weight and felt so much better,” said Bow. “I’m no longer affected by sleep apnea and I don’t snore anymore.”
“It’s so rewarding for me as a physician when my patients have these kinds of outcomes. Impacting their health and also empowering them to take charge of their own healthy lifestyle makes what I do truly satisfying,” said Dr. Edupuganti.
To this day, Bow, Deidra and their children reap the benefits of living healthy lives.
Bow says he is thankful to the cardiology team at Wellstar for helping him make healthier choices for his overall wellness.
“Wellstar is the health system that gave me a second chance at life. A second chance to hold my wife and children. A second chance to fight,” Bow said. “I thought congestive heart failure was a death sentence, but it doesn’t have to be. With help from Dr. Edupuganti and his team, I get to lead a happier and healthier life.”
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Highlights
Commemorate Cancer Survivors Day with Wellstar
Wellstar supports people with cancer throughout their journeys, from early screenings to diagnosis to treatment. But our encouragement and dedication to delivering world-class, compassionate care doesn’t end in remission.
Across our system, Wellstar honors the bravery and strength of survivors every day, rejoicing in each milestone. This National Cancer Survivors Day, June 1, 2025, we are proud to pay tribute to the people who have conquered cancer and offer hope to those still fighting. This year’s Cancer Survivors Day theme—Strike Out Cancer—exemplifies our commitment to being a steadfast source of encouragement for cancer survivors and fighters across Georgia.
“On Cancer Survivors Day, we reflect on our patients’ journeys and cherish victories over cancer. We also offer compassion and support for people currently fighting cancer, so they and their loved ones know they’re not alone,” said Wellstar Director of Oncology Professional Practices Melissa Higdon.
Several Wellstar facilities will host events—and you can be a part of the celebration!
Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers in Cartersville
June 5, 2025
10 AM to 3 PM
100 Market Place Blvd., Cartersville
Contact Mary Ellen Smither at [email protected] or (678) 858-1146.
Wellstar Cobb Medical Center
May 30, 2025
12 to 2 PM
4040 Hospital West Drive, Austell
Behind the building in the garden and parking lot area
Contact Ashley Dapremont at [email protected] or (470) 732-4523.
Wellstar Douglas Medical Center
June 7, 2025
11 AM to 2 PM
8954 Hospital Drive, Douglasville
Surgical services lobby
Contact Diane Harris at [email protected] or (470) 644-5411.
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center
June 7, 2025
11 AM to 2 PM
320 Kennestone Hospital Blvd., Marietta
First floor
Required RSVP, contact Nancy Page at [email protected] or (470) 793-7470.
Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center
June 1, 2025
2 to 4 PM
3000 Hospital Blvd., Roswell
Main lobby in hospital
Contact Sarah Bentley at [email protected] or (770) 751-2556.
Wellstar Paulding Medical Center
June 1, 2025
144 Bill Carruth Parkway, Hiram
Second floor auditorium
Contact Kellie Mitchell at [email protected] or (470) 644-8106.
Wellstar Spalding Medical Center
May 28, 2025
12 to 2 PM
Drive-thru event
608 South 8th St., Griffin
Women’s Center
Contact Sherry Connell at [email protected] or (470) 935-5526.
Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center
June 6, 2025
10 AM to 12 PM
111 Medical Drive, LaGrange
Enoch Callaway Cancer Center
Contact Stephanie Hand at [email protected].
PeopleCare
CindyCare
To say Cindy Mejia is “busy” is an understatement.
She’s constantly crunching numbers as an accounting manager for a large research institute, trying out new recipes in her kitchen at her Roswell home, or trying to keep up with her little granddaughter (who just discovered how much fun it is to run).
But one Wednesday in September, Cindy woke up and reached for her computer, trying to get an early start to her workday. She felt a little groggy and couldn’t remember her password but didn’t immediately realize something was wrong.
Then she stood up. Her right arm and leg weren’t functioning, and that’s when Cindy knew what was happening—she was having a stroke.
“The first thing I thought was, ‘I need to get to Wellstar North Fulton right away,’” Cindy said. “I knew the hospital was nearby and has a good reputation.”
That decision ultimately saved her brain and life.
For Cindy, the critical care she needed was close to home, too—she lives four miles from Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. There, her care team sprang into action, bringing her the treatment and peace of mind in a moment of crisis.
“From then on, I felt well taken care of,” Cindy said. “I was relieved, and I knew I was going to be OK.”
Cindy's close-to-home 'pit crew'
When a patient has a stroke, every second matters. Each minute that ticks by could be the difference between a permanent stroke and a return to routine. So at North Fulton, Cindy’s care team assembled quickly to save her brainpower.
“We’re like the pit crew on a NASCAR team,” said Dr. Ed Malcom, an emergency medicine physician at Wellstar North Fulton. “We have our emergency stroke care response down to a science. Everyone knows their role and works together to act quickly.”
Cindy was one of the first patients at Wellstar North Fulton to benefit from the hospital’s new addition to its stroke program. While the hospital has been a primary stroke center for years, the introduction of thrombectomies at the hospital gives patients a close-to-home, life-saving option for stroke care—saving them both time and brainpower.
A thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure used to unclog an artery, restoring blood flow to the brain and preventing further damage. It does not involve cutting of the brain but instead starts with the insertion of a catheter through the patient’s groin.
“Recently, we’ve developed our own capability right here in the North Fulton area to pull the clot out of the brain. That’s a giant leap forward,” Dr. Malcom explained. “It's good for the whole state because there's only a handful of hospitals that do that, and it's good for the residents that live in that North Fulton area to have a hospital so close. They don't have to take a helicopter ride somewhere to get that procedure done. It saves time.”
For Cindy, having that procedure just a few miles from her home, right when she needed it, helped save her brain function.
“If Cindy would have gone to a different hospital that didn't provide this care, then it would have been a long time before she was able to have blood flow restored to the brain,” Wellstar Neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Zussman said, explaining how critical each section was when it came to Cindy’s care. “The delay could have been 30 minutes or even an hour, and it's possible that she would have had permanent stroke, permanent damage to her brain instead of making the recovery she did.”
Offering thrombectomies at Wellstar North Fulton has brought long-needed stroke services to the area north of Atlanta, so patients like Cindy don’t have to travel into the city through busy traffic to get the treatment they need.
Proximity to care is especially important for critical situations like strokes, said Dr. Rishi Gupta, director of stroke care at Wellstar.
“Any disease that is time-sensitive where patients need to get to the hospital quickly, get treated quickly—the geography is everything, particularly in bad weather when helicopters cannot fly,” he said, explaining how logistics can impact life-saving stroke care. “We need to be able to provide services in the communities the patients reside and the North Fulton program is uniquely positioned to do that.”
Signs of a stroke can include a loss of balance, dizziness, blurry vision or sudden vision loss, drooping in the face, arm or leg weakness, and difficulty speaking. Patients who experience any of those symptoms should call 911 and seek medical care right away.
Cindy said she is glad she got to the hospital as soon as she could—“I am so thankful that I took quick action and that I had Wellstar so close.” At Wellstar North Fulton, she not only received the highest level of stroke care. Wellstar takes a multidisciplinary approach to stroke care, including specialists such as critical care specialists, neurologists, neurointerventionalists and physical therapists on the care team.
“When you're feeling pretty healthy, you don't think a stroke can happen to you. It happens so quickly. You don't necessarily get a warning,” Cindy said, sharing the importance of listening to your body’s signals when it comes to health. “You can feel one way one day or one minute, and the next minute, it changes.”
PeopleCare
StephenCare
Stephen Nowlin became unexpectedly paralyzed one day when preparing for a Fourth of July celebration with friends. A flight EMS team was called to transport him when the flight nurse on call, Hannah Carr, recognized the address of the accident—her childhood home. She flew her father to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, where he could have the fastest, most comprehensive trauma response—and a chance at full recovery.
When routine yard work went wrong
Preparing for his annual Fourth of July party, Stephen mowed his 13-acre property in Waco, Georgia. The routine chore took a terrifying turn when his mower flipped. Trapped underneath, he realized he was paralyzed. His friend soon discovered him lying there and called 911.
Meanwhile, Stephen’s daughter, Hannah, was working that day as a flight nurse for a local air ambulance company. When the call came in about a 60-year-old man in a tractor accident, paralyzed, at her parents' address, she instantly knew who it was. Hannah and her air ambulance service partner were on their way.
In good hands: first responders act fast
The local fire department and EMS arrived quickly, carefully removing the mower without moving Stephen. They transported him to a nearby landing zone where Hannah and her flight partner waited. As Stephen was loaded onto the helicopter, he told his daughter, “I just hope they can fix me.”
Hannah and her partner did a thorough, head-to-toe assessment for life-threatening injuries.
“I knew I was in good hands,” Stephen said. “She's going to take care of me better than anybody else would.”
On the flight to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, Hannah communicated with the hospital ahead of arrival. In emergency situations, it’s important the team is assembled and ready to perform care as fast as possible. Because of their collaboration, not a minute was wasted.