Cindy Scinto

It was a good time for 44-year-old Cindy Scinto to be living in Spokane, Washington. You see, in 2005 Spokane had the highest survival rate (100%) for heart transplants, and Cindy was in dire need of one.

Aside from her diabetes, which was well under control, Cindy had always been very healthy.

		Her track record quickly changed when she started experiencing chest pains that kept worsening. Doctors discovered Cindy had a massive blockage in her heart; one often referred to as a “widow-maker” since it usually occurs in men and is commonly a killer. For some reason Cindy’s body was attacking the arteries around her heart. She had little muscle damage but her arteries could collapse...
Between 2001 and 2005, she went into cardiac arrest twice, had 31 angioplasties, 2 open heart surgeries and more than a handful of stents. Cindy badly needed a heart transplant, but was told it would be nine months to a year before she might receive one, “I was hanging by a thread,” said Cindy. “There were 70 people ahead of me on the donor list.” The following day, Cindy was told there was a donor heart available for her, but it was so damaged it would not be usable. Not only was there a hole in the heart, but it needed mitral valve and tricuspid valve repair. "I asked him how he thought this one would work. Being a Godly man, he told me, 'this is the heart God has for you,'" Cindy said. One of Cindy’s heart surgeons, Dr. Timothy Icenogle, flew by leer jet to Seattle, Washington to fix the heart, using the Carpentier-Edwards Physio annuloplasty ring. “It’s quite a miracle, the heart started beating almost immediately after being transplanted, it needed no help,” said Cindy. “I’m happy to be alive.” Despite having to undergo chemotherapy for a virus she acquired from the donor heart, Cindy has been healthy. Her heart functions are perfectly normal, an unusual occurrence for hearts used in transplants. She has been able to return fully to being a mother to her 16-year-old and to her work as a graphic designer and web site developer. “Every time I have a procedure with a new attending, they are amazed to see my heart,” said Cindy. “Edwards’ product is part of the miracle that allows me to be alive today!"