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Fancy Meeting You Here!
Livingston, N.J. -- When Paul Lighty, age 93, of Heath Village, Hackettstown, came to Saint Barnabas Medical Center for double bypass surgery and repair of a ventricular septal defect (VSD – also known as a hole in the heart), one person he did not expect to see was his friend and fellow Heath Village Men’s Club member, Edwin Lincoln, age 87, also of Heath Village. Mr. Lincoln came in for valve replacement surgery, and the friends had the opportunity to visit with each other during their hospital stays in early March. “We’re old traveling companions,” says Mr. Lighty, a retired physical chemist, who has lived in Hackettstown for 14 years. Several years ago, the two widowers sought each other’s company for a rail trip to California. Taking an Amtrak train across country, they visited both natural sites as well as less frequently visited attractions, and then flew home after their 10-day journey. “Strangely enough, we’re still friends,” quips Mr. Lighty, “Even after spending so much time together, sometimes in very confined quarters.” Mr. Lincoln, a retired engineer who spent his career working with sheet metal and structural metal, moved to Hackettstown in 1993, and has been friends with Mr. Lighty ever since they met at the Men’s Club. In fact, Mr. Lincoln was the president of the Club for one year, helping to organize the monthly meetings, luncheons, and trips. Both are patients of Hackettstown Cardiologist Leonard A. Feitell, M.D., and went to Saint Barnabas Medical Center, in Livingston, N.J., because of their advancing age and the complexity of the care they required. “The decision to refer both these gentlemen for surgical evaluation was not an easy one. It was made after a great deal of discussion with both the patients and their families,” explains Dr. Feitell. “However, once the decision was made, Saint Barnabas was the obvious choice. I have built a very strong working relationship with both the cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at Saint Barnabas and have developed the utmost confidence in their level of expertise.” On staff to greet the patients was Interventional Cardiologist Bruce J. Haik, M.D., an associate of Diagnostic and Clinical Cardiology, PA, who performed their cardiac catheterizations prior to open heart surgery. “While the procedures our surgeons performed for Mr. Lighty and Mr. Lincoln are the standard of care for their particular heart problems, not all facilities have the experience and willingness to perform them on what we consider to be ‘high-risk’ patients. At Saint Barnabas, we very often treat patients who may be turned away from other hospitals,” he says. Dr. Haik expressed satisfaction with how both men were recovering. Mr. Lighty, who is originally from Madison, WI, has two daughters, a son, 10 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. He recalled coming to New Jersey more than 60 years ago to seek employment during the Great Depression. Likewise, Mr. Lincoln was also from the Midwest, from Detroit, MI. He has three daughters, 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Both retirees speak highly of Heath Village, a retirement community with levels of services offered to meet the needs of their residents – from independence to health care assistance. They will recuperate together at the Heath Village Health Care Center. Date:March, 2003 [ top ] |
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Shown following surgery are friends Paul Lighty, age 93,
(in the wheelchair) and Edwin Lincoln, age 87, both of Heath
Village, Hackettstown, with Interventional Cardiologist Bruce
J. Haik, M.D.
