Genetic Heart Disease & the Importance of a Heart Healthy Life
“I would never go anywhere other than Hoag because the care you receive
there is so substantially different than any other hospital,” Gary
Leibowitz said. “You get the sense that the nurses and physicians
love what they do.”
Having a heart attack at 32 is horrible enough. But when you’re told
that the cause of your ailment is genetic, and you have two young boys
at home, it does something to your psyche. For some, knowing you have
genetic high cholesterol might leave you terrified. For others, like Gary
Leibowitz, it will bring out the fight in you.
A bankruptcy attorney, Leibowitz said he knew he had high cholesterol at
age 15, but not much was understood about cholesterol at the time. After
his heart attack, his wife did some research and put together a non-fat
diet for the family long before most people had heard of such a thing.
Despite the careful diet, exercise and introduction of statins, Leibowitz
went on to survive two more heart attacks.
But it was the fourth heart attack of his life that really shook him. Because
this one didn’t happen in his own chest.
When the Leibowitzes learned that Gary’s cholesterol issue was genetic,
they had their sons tested. Danny, at age 5, learned he was going to follow
in his father’s footsteps. And in 2017, at the age of 34, Danny
suffered a heart attack.
By this time, Gary Leibowitz knew a lot more about genetic high cholesterol.
In 2016, with Hoag on his side, Gary fought insurance companies for a
new injectable drug, Praulent, which has helped him to bring his cholesterol
levels way down with virtually no side effects.
“I knew from the research that this drug would work for me, but insurance
wouldn’t budge. My doctors at Hoag were in my corner. They wrote
letters to help support my fight with the insurance company, and it has
made all the difference,” Leibowitz said. “Now, we’re
going to do the same for Danny.”
While not entirely unexpected, Danny’s heart attack surprised him.
Unlike his father, he grew up knowing all about high cholesterol. He was
never allowed to eat birthday cake as a kid. He knew about the particular
importance exercise has for him, and he always stayed in shape. He began
taking statins at the age of 14.
In fact, his physical appearance, age and lifestyle led doctors at a different
hospital to question Danny’s suspicion that he was having a heart attack.
“I drove myself to the ER, and the doctor there told me I was a hypochondriac,”
Danny said.
A blood test confirmed that he was, indeed, suffering from a heart attack.
His father and his father-in-law immediately worked to get Danny transferred to Hoag.
At Hoag, Subbarao Myla, M.D., the medical director of the cardiac cath
labs at the Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute, found Danny
had a 100 percent blockage in one area of his heart, and an 80 percent
blockage in another. Dr. Myla was able to insert one stent to open the
two areas and restore full function to his ailing heart.
“I would never go anywhere other than Hoag because the care you receive
there is so substantially different than any other hospital,” Gary
Leibowitz said. “You get the sense that the nurses and physicians
love what they do.”
Both Gary and Danny also admire the way the hospital will back them up
when they’re fighting for the best treatment options.
“You have to push and really fight for it,” Gary Leibowitz said.
Both father and son are attorneys, and both feel as though their legal
background helps them find and push for the right treatments. But having
the support of the hospital is immeasurable.
“Thanks to the care at Hoag, I’m back surfing and playing sports,”
Danny said. “And I’m going to have my three kids tested.”