Before Ed Nardi was a Massachusetts General Hospital donor, he was a patient. And before he was a patient, he was the son of George Nardi, MD, general surgeon at Mass General, occasionally spending Saturdays in his father’s office in the White Building when work was busy. To Ed, being at Mass General feels like home, a community he has always been a part of. So, it was only natural that when he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Afib), at age 40, he turned to Mass General for care, entrusting his health to Brian McGovern, MD, and later to Patrick Ellinor, MD, PhD, recently named executive director of the MGB Heart and Vascular Institute.
“Both physicians reminded me of my father in demeanor — providing patient-centric, compassionate, thoughtful and comforting care,” Ed says.
A Timely Intervention
Ed and his wife, Bean Nardi, decided to become annual donors after Ed experienced a life-threatening Afib episode a decade ago. One spring afternoon, Ed received a call from Dr. Ellinor asking him what he was doing, to which Ed responded, “working at my desk.” At the time, Ed was wearing a heart monitor, which had detected that his resting heart rate was dangerously high, and alerted Dr. Ellinor. Urgently, but calmly, Dr. Ellinor told him what to do.
“I want you to put your pen down and make your way over to the emergency department, and I’ll meet you there,” Ed recalls him saying.
Dr. Ellinor met Ed at the front door and ensured that he was in stable condition and ready for the next day’s ablation procedure, already scheduled. “That personal touch and close attention to my care from someone in a demanding leadership position meant so much to
me,” Ed says.
Supporting a New Vision of Cardiac Care
To date, the Nardis have contributed a total of $240,000 to support Dr. Ellinor and his team, and Ed is hopeful the funds will improve care for those with cardiac arrhythmias and related conditions around the world.
“In my experience, Mass General has never strayed from its mission to provide the very best patient care, from the selfless way my father treated his patients to the way Dr. Ellinor
approaches his research, always striving for global impact.”
“Having known Dr. Ellinor for many years and having seen him take on roles of increasing responsibility and importance, it’s heartening to see that someone who has never lost sight of the importance of exceptional clinical care is now at the helm of the MGB Heart and Vascular Institute,” Ed says. “I’m always comforted by Mass General’s continuous drive to be a leader in healthcare innovation, led by physicians like Dr. Ellinor.”
To learn more about how you can support cardiac care and the Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute, contact us.
