St. Francis Heart Center Saves Hauppauge Resident’s Life

Larry Castello, of Hauppauge, NY, is grateful to be alive after a routine evening at home turned into a life-threatening medical emergency. He went to bed with shoulder-to-shoulder pain across his chest that he thought was a pulled muscle. “I woke up at 2 in the morning, and I felt like I had an elephant standing on my chest,” said Larry.

His daughter Julia, a nursing student, called 9-1-1 immediately, knowing that was a likely sign that her father was having a heart attack. EMS took Larry to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown, NY, for evaluation at the hospital’s Chest Pain Center at St. Francis Heart Center.

"I felt like I was getting quality care, and I felt like I was at the right place," said Larry. "They treated me like a person first, and I really appreciate that."

Larry had several arteries with nearly 100 percent blockages. He required four stents.

The Chest Pain Center promptly evaluates patients presenting with a heart attack. Patients who need stenting (coronary angioplasty) to open blocked arteries are moved quickly to the catheterization “cath” lab. Our cardiologists use advanced technology that makes St. Francis Heart Center Long Island’s most-awarded heart program.

That level of care gave Larry a second chance that he appreciates daily.

“I’m really looking at life very differently now,” he said. He is looking forward to taking trips with his wife and children.

Larry remains grateful for his dedicated care team at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital.

“While I was at St. Catherine’s, I got such good care,” he said. “The nurses that were taking care of me, they’re all angels.”

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Learn more about our cardiology services.