Patient Stories
Palos Community Hospital provides a complete continuum of cardiovascular care, delivered by a team of cardiac specialists. Palos Community Hospital is also home to one of the most accomplished cardiovascular surgical groups in the Chicago area, who work together to provide you with positive outcomes.
Learn more about a few of our patients, and how our team of experts helped get them back on the road to a healthy life.
Noreen Peterson
“When I was at Palos, I was getting well. I had promise and hope. On a scale from 1 to 10, plus 10! Plus 20! My experience was beyond measure."
Noreen Peterson
Noreen Peterson is not the type of person who lets much slow her down. In December 2008, being an insulin-dependent type 1 diabetic, she recognized her body's reaction to low blood sugar. On her way to the kitchen, Noreen fell down the steps. That led to a diagnosis of peripheral artery disease. Learn about Noreen's experience at Palos Community Hospital.
Richard Brandt
Richard Brandt is an active man, in great shape and great health. He bikes as much as 30 miles every day during the warmer months and lifts weights regularly — if not daily. He eats a well balanced diet. But Richard suffers from atrial fibrillation. Learn how Palos helped him get a handle on his condition, and return to his active lifestyle.
Louis D'Antonio
In late 2005, Chicago resident Louis D’Antonio wasn’t feeling at all like himself. This normally active and energetic middle-aged man had become depressed, sluggish and often found himself short of breath when trying to do something as simple as carry groceries in from the car. He visited Dr. Arrotti, and it was a decision that may have saved his life. Learn more about Louis and the Cardiac Rehab program at Palos.
Bill Czajkowski
Bill Czajkowski
“While I was running that day, I felt a pressure in my chest. It was just a sensation, like someone was pushing a finger against my chest. I had no other symptoms.”
When Palos Heights Deputy Chief Bill Czajkowski walked into the Emergency Room at Palos Community Hospital in February 2009, he was the picture of health. Even doctors thought so, but looks can be deceiving. Bill was, quite literally, a heart attack waiting to happen. That’s why you should never ignore even the mildest symptoms, nor should you ignore the steps you can take to protect your heart. Read more about Bill and how the Palos team was instrumental in getting him back on duty.
Esther Johnson
By most standards, Chicago Ridge-native Esther Johnson is not your typical 68-year-old. She scrubs her own floors, mows the lawn, and up until this past winter, shoveled snow from the driveway. She was still recovering from injuries sustained in a fall when she awoke on the morning of March 30, struggling to breath and with a slight tingling sensation in her arm. These were the only signs of trouble Esther had, and when paramedics arrived, they confirmed her suspicions. She was having a heart attack. Esther enrolled in the Cardiac Rehabilitation program at Palos Community Hospital and learned that neither her life nor her quality of life had to be sacrificed to heart disease. Read her story and her choice to improve her health.
