When carpenter Ken “Casey” Adams turned 73 on Aug. 31, 2022, he had no plans to slow down. He often worked 12-hour days as the facilities manager of Sifting Sands Condo-Motel in Ocean City and was looking forward to his 55th reunion with his Ocean City High School class of ’67 friends at the end of September. He also had a Bermuda trip in October and a new hardwood floor to install at the Marmora home he shares with his wife, Gene.
But shortly after the reunion, Casey received a startling diagnosis at Shore Medical Center that would require open heart surgery and sideline him for months – he had congestive heart failure.
It all began about a week after the reunion when Casey realized the steroids he was taking for a sinus infection weren’t working. “I could hardly breathe after going up the stairs. I said to my wife, ‘I need to go back to urgent care’.”
From urgent care, Gene drove Casey to Shore Medical Center where he would discover if he had pneumonia – or worse.
“Shore’s ER staff were waiting for me with a wheelchair when I arrived. Everyone was wonderful,” Casey said. Within minutes he was heading in for chest imaging, which revealed he had heart failure and not pneumonia. He was admitted to Shore’s ICU where he continued to receive excellent and compassionate care.
For a “project” of this magnitude, this carpenter needed a good “general contractor.” That person was Cardiologist Dr. Millee Singh with Penn Cardiology Somers Point, which is located on the Shore Medical Center campus.
“Dr. Singh saw me in the ER, and in the ICU. She ordered more testing. That’s when I met Dr. Bill,” said Casey.
‘Dr. Bill’ is Penn Medicine Interventional Cardiologist Dr. William Matthai, pictured above with Casey, who conducted Casey’s heart catheterization in Shore’s state-of-the-art full-service Cardiac Catheterization Lab. Dr. Matthai weaved a long tube through a blood vessel in Casey’s wrist all the way to the heart, and performed a series of tests to measure the pressure and take pictures of his heart arteries. The tests would reveal the full picture of his arterial blockages and heart function, so Dr. Singh and his surgeon Dr. Marisa Cevasco at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia could coordinate his surgery and care plan.
From start to finish, Casey and Gene were beyond impressed with the care he received both at Shore and Penn. Until this experience, they had no inkling of how closely related Shore and Penn Medicine are.
“I was surprised to see Dr. Bill after my surgery. I saw him at Shore, and then I saw him up at Penn – in fact, he came in to see me almost every day after surgery,” Casey said. “I was fully confident in my care. I mean, they’re from Penn. You gotta respect that!”
Casey is now in the care of Dr. Singh at Penn Cardiology Somers Point. His recent cardiac testing shows an 85-90% improvement compared to his initial presentation. Dr. Singh prescribed cardiac rehabilitation to help get his cardiovascular system conditioned while exercising under medical supervision, and his heart numbers are sent weekly to Dr. Singh.
Gene said at first Casey didn’t see the necessity of cardiac rehab.
“We talked about the fact that he intends to continue working at Sifting Sands. Something as simple as carrying the ladder up the stairs, he needs to learn how to do that safely.”
Casey admits he’s glad he is in cardiac rehab.
“I felt, if it’s gonna help, I can’t say no. It’s weird because it does make you feel better. It makes your heart work, legs work, and arms work. It’s not relaxing, but it’s stimulating.”
Gene says Casey comes home proud of his accomplishments. She joked, “He’s like a first grader coming home from school, telling me how long he was on the machines!”
Gene and Casey recently sat down with Dr. Matthai to reflect on the whole experience. They were especially thankful for his expertise, compassion and attention.
Gene said, “You have to give Dr. Matthai a whole lot of credit. He just continued to keep us informed and feeling more confident in the care we were receiving.” Casey added, “He was that great.”
Casey is here today to tell his story thanks to the quick actions and expert care from Shore's ER and ICU staff, and the clinical expertise of his Penn Medicine providers like Dr. Singh and Dr. Matthai. Our affiliation ensures that when cardiac emergencies arise, you can trust that you'll get expert and seamless cardiac care.
