Memorial Health System honors heart failure survivors

GULFPORT, Miss (WXXV) – Memorial Health System hosted a heart recovery reunion for local heart failure patients who were treated at the hospital.

The event provided patients and members of the Memorial Health System team the opportunity to reconnect and share heartfelt stories of their time both in treatment and in recovery.

Cardiologist Dr. Antoine Rizk speaks on seeing his patients make a full recovery after a rocky road of intense treatment, while a patient, Brian Reithel of Oxford, talks about how he can enjoy life to the fullest after experiencing life at his lowest. 

Memorial Hospital offers comprehensive cardiovascular disease services and attributes its success in recovering heart failure patients to the technology of Impella, a small, catheter-based left ventricular assist device that temporarily assists the pumping function of the heart.

Impella allows the heart to rest and recover to efficiently deliver blood and oxygen to the entire body.