Impact

Meet Andrea & Ian

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Bon Secours - Richmond, VA

Andrea and Ian both survived heart attacks because you support cardiac care at Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital

A young couple stands outside in the woods on a sunny day. Their young daughter stands with them.

Andrea Woie was only 32 years old when she and her husband Ian took a weekend getaway to Asheville, NC. That’s when she first felt the tightness in her chest. It went away with a bit of rest but returned many times over the next few days accompanied by severe pain. By the following Saturday, Andrea was at St. Mary's recovering from a heart attack.

“We just didn’t believe it at first,” says Andrea. “My doctor said my LAD artery was 100 percent blocked. I had a stent put in and that opened it up, but my heart was already damaged from the heart attack.”

 

“We felt cared for from the moment we stepped in the door. And that care continues to this day with our cardiologists. We can’t thank everyone enough.”

 

Thanks to donor support, Andrea was able to recover from her heart attack after 12 weeks of rehab. She and Ian even had a baby girl, Hannah, four years later. Life was perfect.

In August of 2023, that all changed. Almost 11 years to the day of Andrea’s heart attack, 40-year-old Ian experienced chest pain.

After Andrea’s ordeal, they went straight to St. Mary's where Ian required three stents of his own.

“Andrea preached throughout her recovery—just listen to your body,” says Ian. “Understand when things aren’t right and go get help. So that’s what we did.”

The couple credits St. Mary's for providing them with such excellent care. They even drove past two hospitals to get there because, as Ian puts it,” We knew that’s where we wanted to be.”