Fred’s Story
Fred Van Mourik, MD, had long recovered from two heart-related issues, including a minor heart attack, and had spent a decade in good health. But suddenly, he started feeling sick and noticed a dramatic drop in his heart rate.
His wife, June, said, “We both knew this was different from what he had experienced in the past and that made it very scary. This was the third time I had to drive him to the Emergency Department at CMMC– and I was very concerned and worried.”
Fred was not your typical patient. In fact, he is Dr. Fred Van Mourik, a retired physician who had spent more than 30 years caring for patients at the Gray Family Health Center, part of Central Maine Healthcare. So by the time he met up with Michael Berlowitz, MD, chief of the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute he had already begun trying to diagnose himself.
“Both doctors were very knowledgeable and I had the advantage of understanding what they were talking about. And even though I had only been retired for six years, I was struck by the advanced technology they used to diagnose my problem.”
The doctors discovered a major blockage in one of Dr. Van Mourik’s arteries and were able to easily address the issue.
“When you have a serious medical issue like I did, people often say, ‘Oh, you have to go to Portland for that.’ But you don’t. I went to CMMC because I had faith in their abilities. They are highly skilled and experienced cardiac specialists. And it’s important to my wife and me that through everything – from diagnosis to treatment – we were able to stay close to home and at the hospital we both trusted.”
Left: Dr. Fred Van Mourik with his wife, June, long-time president of the Women’s Hospital Association, with their granddaughter Nola and family dog, Bella.