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Cardiac patient’s annual exam includes cross-country flight

For Margo Schoder, 79, the level of care she receives from the Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center is so valuable that she travels more than 2,000 miles for her annual checkups.

“The doctors, nurses and the entire staff at the Heart Hospital have made such an impact on my life,” Margo said. “They are the difference between me succumbing to one of my heart ailments and living our happy retirement years with my husband.”

Patient strives for a happy life, even while facing open heart surgery

“I always try to make things pleasant,” said the 73-year-old retired, aerospace engineer living in Los Lunas. “I try to tell jokes, be happy and upbeat. I will say ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ to almost everyone I meet.”

So when he learned that his only option to fix three clogged arteries was open heart surgery for a triple bypass, he focused on a more positive note. “Well, if I can live past August, I will have outlived my father and both my grandfathers,” he said.