This series spotlights Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic colleagues who are participating in the American Heart Association’s Philadelphia Heart Walk on Oct. 24.
Over the past 20-plus years, Barry Burton has done it all.
From wood crafting and photography, to caving, rock climbing and Krav Maga, his days are packed with activities that bring him joy and teach him new skills.
He’s proof that, even after a terrifying cardiac event, life can still be pretty wonderful.
On Oct. 24, he and his wife Mary Lou Burton, practice manager at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Medical Group’s Primary Care Cottman, will attend the American Heart Association’s Philadelphia Heart Walk in celebration of his survival.
Mary Lou vividly remembers 2003. Her husband, who was 45 at the time, had made impressive strides in the health care field, advancing from an EMT, to teaching through the National Institute of Emergency Care for the AHA, to an emergency room residency following medical school—all while raising four children.
Night shifts were common and sleep was minimal. Before long, Mary Lou noticed a change in Barry.
“We used to walk two or three miles a day. But eventually, I realized he couldn’t even make it up the hill,” she recalls.
Though he brushed off his low stamina as asthma, Mary Lou wasn’t convinced. She made her concerns known to one of his classmates, who urged him to get checked out.
“He got in the car. By the time we got to the hospital, he had already had a heart attack,” says Mary Lou. “He was put on a balloon pump overnight to keep him alive, and they did a quadruple bypass the next morning. The doctors told him that if he had anything on his bucket list, to do it soon. It was very scary.”
Once recovered, Barry heeded their advice. In addition to spending time with his wife and kids, he tried his hand at every hobby he’d always wanted to do. He didn’t intend to waste a single day.
Though Barry also returned to work full-time doing occupational medicine with a more stable 9 to 5 schedule, this only lasted a year before he needed 12 cauterizations and five stents placed. During this time, he switched to teaching disaster management and emergency medicine at a Philadelphia college.
In 2013, Barry’s heart started failing again and he needed a second quadruple bypass. By this point, technology had advanced and he underwent transmyocardial revascularization (TMR)—a surgical procedure that uses a high-energy laser to burn tiny channels into the heart muscle and create new capillaries.
The surgery was a success and now, at age 68, Barry is still in great health.
“I walk for him and all the patients that have been saved due to the ongoing advances in cardiac care,” says Mary Lou. “By raising money, we can help fund the discovery of even more innovative ways to help cardiac patients.”
In walking and sharing Barry’s story, the Burtons wish to inspire others to get checked if something doesn’t feel right. They also hope that his journey encourages other cardiac survivors to remember one thing—a serious event doesn’t have to define the rest of your life.
“The cardiologist says my husband is her poster child to show that you can go on and do a lot of stuff. We’re 23 years out from the first surgery and he’s still going strong. He just retired from his full-time job, but he’s still teaching basic life and CPR for ambulance squads. He’s still with us and we’re thankful every day,” says Mary Lou. “When I talk to patients one-on-one, I always say, ‘You can do much more than just sit home.’ I tell them about my husband and a lot of them go on to live a fuller life.”