Fagan Has New Lease on Life After Recovering from Aneurysm Surgery

“A few months ago, a neighbor and I had been trimming azaleas all day with plans to finish the next day,” he recalls. “By the end of the day, though, I had pain in my abdomen and fatigue in my legs; so I begged off the azalea trim the next day.” By early the next morning, he was having severe pain in his abdominal area. He told his wife to get dressed; he had to get some help.

Fagan Chooses South Central
He thought his problem was heart related, since he had previously had heart problems and angioplasty 15 years ago in Hattiesburg. He and his wife were making the journey toward Hattiesburg, when they reached the stoplight at the corner of Jefferson Street and 16th Avenue in Laurel. There they decided to go to South Central’s Emergency Department. “We wanted to see if they thought I needed to see my doctor in Hattiesburg,” Fagan says.

“At South Central’s Emergency Room, I received great care,” he says. “Within three minutes, Rob—that’s Dr. Rob Coleman, the twin grandson of former Governor J.P. Coleman—was checking me out. After listening to my heart, he informed me that my heart was beating loudest at my groin area. The doctor said to me, ‘things are fixing to get real busy here.’”

Quick, Expert—And Spiritual—Professionals
“After an ultrasound revealed a leaking aneurysm in my abdomen, Dr. Coleman told me that he had already called in Dr. Vinay Kumar, an endovascular surgeon on South Central’s medical staff. That’s how fast it was. We arrived at South Central’s Emergency Room at 4 a.m., and Dr. Kumar was there by 4:15 a.m., ordering an angiogram and a CT.”

A charming Southern storyteller, Aubrey Fagan digresses from the main narrative at this point to underscore the importance of his last remark. After a thoughtful pause, Aubrey quietly said, “Laurel is so fortunate to have a doctor of his caliber here. Not only is he consulted in Laurel for his excellent professional reputation, but I understand that patients come from all over the country to see him.”

He smiled and continued, “His personal character and spirituality also are reasons I would recommend him. As I was being put under for surgery, I was comforted by the sight of his holding hands with the operating room staff and praying for me. But, when I asked if he was going to heal me, he replied, ‘I’m not going to heal you. The man up there is going to do that.’”

“I had people praying for me in the waiting room, too. Friend James Laird had a prayer vigil. My friend knows all about medical problems, too, and was there for me at the hospital. A lot of people in the community also prayed for me.”

“After surgery, Dr. Kumar joked that he had ‘re-plumbed’ me.” According to Mr. Fagan, all of those prayers worked. He entered the hospital on Thursday and was discharged on Sunday.

Aubrey describes himself as an “all out” kind of guy who passionately goes at life full tilt. Twenty years ago, at the time of his first heart attack, Aubrey was a smoker. But he had played softball all of his life, giving up the game only a year before the attack, when his legs bothered him more and more. “The first time,” he recalls, “they treated me with a balloon and medication to dilate the arteries. But I have always experienced fatigue, especially in my legs, since that heart attack. I have had two or three cardiac episodes along with six or seven catheterizations in Hattiesburg to clear heart blockages. Aneurysms had never been diagnosed in my legs and body—until Dr. Kumar.

After a career as a machinist with Delco-Remy—which spanned more than 22 years—Aubrey retired two years ago and today enjoys life more than ever with wife Sarah Earline and his longtime friends, James and D.L. Laughingly, he confessed that the three join approximately 20 other friends at Eileen’s Restaurant every morning for a breakfast meeting of the “Zipper Club.”

“To join, you must have had at least one bypass operation,” he says. “Some members boast five bypasses. We also compete on whose cholesterol or blood pressure is down the most points since the last doctor’s visit. After we compare numbers, we drink coffee and tell retirement stories.”

“And we brag about our kids and grandchildren. My son Michael Dean graduated from R.H. Watkins High School and is the senior computer analyst at Texas Medical, which has 22 hospitals in the group, including M.D. Anderson, Baylor, and the Shrine Burn Hospital. A lot of his Laurel friends work there on his staff. My granddaughter Donya also attends college in Houston. My daughter Sonya Florimonte is a cosmetologist in Hattiesburg. I’m so proud of them.”

Some Serious Advice
Then, on a more serious note, Aubrey quietly admitted that the most recent medical crisis has caused him to look at life a little differently. “Each new day is a gift,” he said. “If we don’t use it to our advantage, then we’re missing a blessing from God.” He also advises others to seek treatment immediately if experiencing symptoms. “Don’t wait if you do. See a doctor at once. And remember some of the best are right here in Laurel.”

Many aneurysms are caused by high blood pressure inside the blood vessels. In other people, buildup inside the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, is to blame. This buildup can weaken the walls of the blood vessel, making an aneurysm more likely. Other factors also may cause aneurysms, including genes and abnormal anatomy.

Aneurysms typically have no symptoms, so they are often found during tests for other conditions. For example, an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test, or ultrasound may detect an aneurysm.

Aubrey L. Fagan advises you to seek treatment immediately if you think you may have an aneurysm. For more information about aneurysms, visit The Endovascular Center website at www.endovascularone.com.

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