Isiah Thomas’ mother, Mary, recovering at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital

Nov. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- Hinsdale – Mary Thomas, the mother of Florida International University basketball coach and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, is recovering at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital.

Mary Thomas, 86, suffered a heart attack Saturday evening and was brought to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in Hinsdale, Ill., about 20 miles west of Chicago. There, a team of cardiologists, led by interventional cardiologist Dr. Duane Follman, performed a complex interventional cardiac procedure to eliminate the blockage that caused her heart attack.

“Ms. Thomas was deemed an extremely high surgical risk,” Follman said. “Because of her age and multiple other health factors, an invasive open heart surgery would have been too high a risk for survival and recovery. This minimally invasive procedure was a better course of treatment.”

The initial angiogram, performed by Dr. Edgar Carell, showed very serious heart disease in the left main artery of the heart. Carell and Follman, along with Dr. Selvakumar Kunchithapatham, worked together in the highly complicated two-hour procedure. The doctors placed two stents in the left main artery, which was 90 percent blocked. The location and severity of the blockage added to the difficulty of the procedure.

“She was very sick,” Follman said. “The procedure went very well and Ms. Thomas is expected to make a full recovery.”

Thomas, who comforted his mother at the hospital with family members who flew in from across the country, released the following statement:

“I am so grateful to everyone who has been praying for my mother over the past few days; thanks for your prayers and kind thoughts. I also am eternally grateful to Drs. Follman, Carell, Kunchithapatham and all of the nurses and other caregivers who treated my mother at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. The medical team put our family at ease and provided the university-level care that we have come to trust over the years.”

Follman has treated Mary Thomas for nearly 15 years. She lives in the western suburbs.

Chicago native Isiah Thomas debuted as Florida International’s coach Monday. He played point guard for the Detroit Pistons from 1981 to 1994, leading them to the NBA Championship in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. He was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

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Adventist Midwest Health includes four suburban Chicago hospitals: Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital, Adventist GlenOaks Hospital, Adventist Hinsdale Hospital and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital. For more information, visit www.keepingyouwell.com