Alissa Cook Bobbitt Open Heart Surgery

On January 19th, my baby sister, Alissa Cook Bobbitt unexpectedly underwent open heart surgery to address a tear in the wall of a heart artery known medically as “SCAD”. A rare occurrence and condition that is responsible for a small percentage (about 1 to 4 percent) of all heart attacks.

She is a beautiful, healthy wife and mother of three children, step-son Nelson (17), Oliver (3) and Eli (1).

Alissa is currently doing well but is still in the ICU as she recovers from a double bypass. We are hopeful she will get strong enough to be moved out of the ICU soon and into another area of the hospital. She may require rehab after her hospital stay.

Currently, Alissa is the only working adult in the home. Unfortunately, while out for a hernia surgery, her husband Joe was let go from his job of 11 years in October and has not been able to find employment. Now she will be unable to work for what could be several weeks to months while she recovers. With her permission I asked to share her story and ask her friends and family to consider helping support them while she continues focused on fighting and recovering.

Over the course of a couple days, she experienced multiple heart attacks and as a mother kept powering through her normal everyday life after being told she was experiencing what one ER doctor said was “indigestion or panic attacks”. We all know the strength of mothers, but after that third attack struck her frail heart on the way to drop off her children to school, she couldn’t keep going. She used every last bit of strength she had left to safely get her children into the building. She feebly asked for help, dropped to the floor holding her heart crying for help and her husband, when a schoolteacher called 911 on her behalf. The one thing she knew was she didn’t want her children to see her in pain…

When the ambulance arrived, she once again was told she had no indicator of a heart attack, her husband and her charted a course to the hospital likely hours before a potential fatal blow to the heart.

Upon her arrival at Community Hospital North (Indianapolis, IN) she finally received the order for a cardiac catheterization. The doctors administered drugs to keep her alert during the heart cath and minutes into the procedure they found the tear and made her aware that she was now being prepped for open heart surgery.

The surgery itself was complication free, and we are on the long road to recovery. Everyday brings on a new set of milestones including sitting up, standing, and walking. Everyday we pray for less pain, and we all wish we could take it away. As a big sister, I would do anything to take her place. But instead, I am doing what I can and am making a humble plea to my loved ones and friends who are like family, coworkers, and acquaintances alike to make a donation to help ease the financial burden.