2019 AtlantiCare Foundation Annual Report on Giving

Karen A healthy outlook, a healthier

life

Gifts to the Heart & Vascular Institute have assisted 4 patients with limited resources to participate in the Ornish Lifestyle Medical program to help reverse heart disease to improve their overall well-being. One day in January, Karen Koptic’s world turned upside down. In good health, she was careful about her diet and regularly rode her bicycle around her Margate neighborhood. But bicycling was never fun. It seemed to sap all her strength. Fortunately, she reported that situation to her doctor, who referred her to cardiologist Vineshkumar Patel, MD. Dr. Patel discovered blocked blood flow to her heart. Within days, she had a cardiac catheterization, followed by triple bypass surgery.

Dr. Patel recommended AtlantiCare’s Ornish Lifestyle Medicine™, an intensive lifestyle modification program. Ornish combines stress management, exercise and nutrition in a medically-supervised protocol, proven to reverse the effects of heart disease. Her insurance didn’t cover it, but a Foundation grant covered part of the cost. As she was about to start, she took another hit, with the unexpected death of her husband. That left her unsure about her prospects for success making the commitment to something new. “When I thought about my daughter, left with only one parent, I decided Ornish was worth trying,” she recalls. She learned diet modification and safe exercise. Heart-healthy stress management training also helped in her grieving. And she made fast friends with others in the class, facing similar health issues. “I was skeptical at first, but after nine weeks, we had a blast. Today, I recommend it to everyone. And the Foundation grant was huge. With Christopher’s death, the expense would have been almost impossible. It was a gift I won’t forget,” she says.

“And the Foundation grant was huge...it was a gift I won’t forget.”

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ANNUAL REPORT ON GIVING