Truck mechanic finds Reid the right place for heart repair

Ruford Marcum worked as a truck mechanic for more than 40 years. But in 2014, he needed some mechanical work of his own—not on a vehicle, but on his heart.

The news wasn’t completely unexpected. In 2010, Ruford had two stents placed to open up clogged arteries. Back then, his cardiologist, Allen Joseph, M.D., noticed early signs of problems with his aortic valve and decided to keep an eye on it. In 2014, Ruford began to feel tired and short of breath. A cardiac imaging procedure at Reid Heart & Vascular Center showed that Ruford’s aortic valve was blocking blood flow from his heart. Dr. Joseph told him he needed valve replacement surgery — not someday, but as soon as possible.

“That was a shocker, but I didn’t have a lot of time to worry about it,” says Ruford, age 67. “The next day, I was back at the hospital for a bunch of tests, and my wife, Mary, and I met with the heart surgeon, Dr. Paul Howanitz, and other people on the team. My surgery took place the day after that at 5 a.m.”

Despite having only a day to prepare for his surgery, Ruford says that he felt very much at ease. “The doctors and nurses explained the surgery and recovery to us, told us what to expect, and even showed us which room I’d be in afterward,” he says. “They were great with my wife, too. We really felt cared for.”

During Ruford’s stay at Reid, Mary was amazed by how supportive the nurses were of her and others whose loved ones were recovering from heart procedures. “I really loved all our nurses, but Katie Berry was a favorite,” she explained. “She guided us through the whole experience. For instance, before the surgery she said, ‘Mrs. Marcum, you’ve been married to your husband for a long time. If anything concerns you about how he’s doing after surgery, tell a nurse. And if you still don’t feel right, call this number and someone will come right to the room.’ I never needed to use that number because Ruford was so well cared for, but I really appreciated how reassuring she was with us.”

Ruford’s surgery went well, and after a week at Reid he was transferred to a nearby facility for inpatient rehabilitation therapy. He returned to his home in Connersville in late April and continued with rehab therapy at Reid Hospital, not far from where he works part time at Road Ready Tire & Repair. “I’m feeling pretty good and getting stronger all the time,” he said. “I tell all my friends, if you need to have something done, go to Reid. It’s a great place.”