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LEE AND BEVERLY
DROESCHER,
of Norfolk, have
shared a lot over the years they’ve
been married, including the same
heart surgeon. Both had heart sur-
gery at Faith Regional less than two
years apart—Lee had double-coronary
bypass and valve replacement surgery,
and Beverly had quad-bypass and
valve replacement surgery.
Their heart care journey began when
Lee fell off a ladder while working at
his son’s farm near Hadar. He went to
the doctor with an injured wrist and
ended up fainting during the visit. He
thought it was because of the pain in
his wrist. However, the next day he
fainted again. Lee has a strong family
history of heart disease so his doc-
tor ordered a stress test. The results
revealed a problem with his heart.
“Once I learned I was going to need
heart surgery, I met with Dr. Raines to
discuss the procedure,” says Lee.
Beverly was there when Lee met
Edward Raines, MD, a cardiotho-
racic surgeon at Faith Regional
CardioVascular Institute, and immedi-
ately felt at ease with him performing
Lee’s procedure in Norfolk.
“Our kids, who live in Kansas City
and Omaha, didn’t know if there
were skilled enough heart surgeons in
Norfolk to do this procedure, but once
we met Dr. Raines, we felt we were in
good hands,” says Beverly. “We knew
he had experience working in Omaha
and Denver; plus he was so easy to
talk to, which helped us have an im-
mediate connection.”
Following Lee’s surgery and stay
at Faith Regional, he went home to
finish his recovery.
“He did remarkably well at home,”
says Beverly. “He zipped right up the
steps, which was a big concern for
me. His mental and physical state is
wonderful.”
Beverly remembers a conversa-
tion with Dr. Raines at a follow-up
appointment.
“He said to tell Lee that ‘he’ll never
have to see his [Dr. Raines’] face again,’
Lee (right) and Beverly (left)
Droescher both had their
heart surgery performed by
Dr. Edward Raines
Faith Regional is honored to be recognized
as a five-star recipient by Healthgrades
®
,
the leading provider of information to help
consumers make an informed decision about
a physician or hospital.
“I can’t see someone in
Norfolk going anywhere
else for the type of care
we experienced.”
—Lee Droescher
Edward Raines, MD,
Faith Regional
CardioVascular Institute
FAI TH REGIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR INST I TUTE
A couple’s heart care
journey
back to health