Jack Morrison – heart bypass surgery success story
Back in the game of life
The new Amon G. Carter Foundation Heart and Vascular Center called the play that saved Jack Morrison’s life
Considered one of the most important roles on the football field, the left tackle is charged with protecting the quarterback. Jack Morrison II played that position one year as a walk-on at the University of Texas, then another three years at Austin College before a knee injury forced him to give up the game he loved. Jack went on to earn bachelor’s degrees in business, economics, and physical education. For 30 years he traveled the country selling everything from diamonds to chemicals.
During this time, Jack met his wife, Darla, at their 25th high school reunion. The couple, with four sons and eight grandchildren, will soon celebrate their 28th anniversary.
Now retired from sales, for the last five years Jack has helped transport special needs children in the Arlington ISD.
Jack Morrison II enjoys the time he gets with his grandchildren Sydney
and Robert Looper.
“It was when I went for my annual transportation stress test on Dec. 31 that I was told I had failed,” Jack says. He underwent a coronary angiogram with Shoaib Saya, MD, interventional cardiologist on the medical staff at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, who discovered that Jack had an 80 to 90 percent blockage in four of his arteries.
This time, Jack decided to play offense, preparing his next move and tackling his health for his family.
Heart care with a personal touch
The day after his angiogram, Jack underwent a quadruple bypass with Darien Bradford, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon on the medical staff at the Amon G. Carter Foundation Heart and Vascular Center at Methodist Mansfield.
While Jack was concerned about the procedure, he felt sure that he had picked the right medical team. Just a 10-minute drive from his home in Arlington, Methodist Mansfield’s reputation for award-winning cardiac care had preceded it.
In the first few hours after surgery, the Morrisons met another member of Jack’s care team, Emily Forbes, MSN, MHA, WHCNP, FNP-C. As a cardiac nurse practitioner, Forbes was there to answer the couple’s questions and take care of anything they needed.
“Emily was my touchstone,” Jack says. “Everything would glow when she came in the room to check in on me and my wife. We immediately felt a connection with her, like she was my quarterback helping me get to the goal line.”
Star player
Dr. Bradford credits much of the Morrisons’ experience to the new Heart and Vascular Center, which opened in December 2015 with some of the most advanced medical technology available. Jack was one of the first heart patients to be treated there.
“The new center offers a warm and inviting setting for patients and is home to the advanced equipment and technology that enable our heart and vascular team to provide high-quality cardiac care,” he says. “We’ll be able to improve the lives of patients for generations to come in this new facility.”
Jack spent 11 days in the hospital and completed his cardiac rehabilitation. He continues to work out and enjoys the quality time he has with his grandchildren.
“I am feeling so much better now,” Jack says. “I have a lot more energy. I can mow my half-acre lawn, trim the shrubs, and use a push broom without breaking a sweat. My breathing is also back to normal.
“Thanks to Methodist Mansfield, I’m still going strong and in the game.”