It’s a holiday tale tinged in shades of The Grinch. Except this heart-warming story is true. And unlike the green curmudgeon who lived high atop a lonely peak, Craig McCormack is a 52-year-old ultra runner and father of two who lives on Evergreen’s Bear Mountain.
His heart was not too small. Unbeknownst to McCormack, it had a hole in it. Likely a congenital defect, it existed — unnoticed — for 52 years until McCormack suffered a stroke.
Thanks to a Thornton doctor, inspired in his career by a family history of heart disease, McCormack’s heart is now whole. Dr. Qaisar Khan and his team performed the successful surgery at North Suburban Medical Center Dec. 12.
“I’m ready for the holidays, and I’m going to start running again,” he said. “My kids are happy. They keep telling me to slow down, but I’m a stubborn old man and I feel so good.”
It’s a world apart from how McCormack felt in the small hours of Aug. 24.
“I got up and couldn’t feel my left arm and leg, and I was slurring,” he said. “It felt very weird.”
An MRI showed McCormack had suffered a stroke.
“I’m pretty active, so it was a bit of a shock,” he said. “I had no idea at the time what had caused it,” he said.
“But I was more worried about my kids at the time and focused on them. You start thinking about your living will, the financial side of things.”
Enter Dr. Khan
Shortly after his stroke, McCormack met a physician’s assistant at an Evergreen hikers’ gathering who works for Dr. Khan, an interventional cardiologist with Thornton’s Advanced Heart and Vein Center. When he heard McCormack’s story, the assistant urged him to see Dr. Khan.
“A young guy who’s otherwise very active shouldn’t have a stroke,” Dr. Khan said. “There has to be a reason. Most likely it’s a hole in the heart.
“And if it happened once, it’s going to happen again. It’s basically a ticking time bomb. The next event could be life-threatening or complete disability. It needs to be closed.”
Khan’s passion for heart care stems from heart disease in his own family. His grandfather suffered a fatal heart attack at 48. His father also had a heart attack at 52 but survives today, with the help of three stints.
“Almost everybody in my family has heart disease,” Khan said. “But when my grandfather had his heart attack, they didn’t have stints. That’s how my dad is alive, and it’s why I think a lot of us are living longer.”
A hole in the heart is a surprisingly common issue. Also known as a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), it’s a hole between the upper chambers of the heart. Everyone has one in utero — it allows circulation while a fetus is in the womb — but most close 2-3 minutes after birth.
For about 25% of people, that doesn’t happen. And for most of them, the condition never causes a problem, or is even a known condition. But for patients like McCormack, who suffer a mild stroke or symptoms like severe shortness of breath, action needs to be taken.
The life-changing procedure to repair the hole is typically done in less than an hour.
“To me, the most important thing is that you can prevent another stroke,” Dr. Khan said. “Imagine someone who has another 40-plus years to live, suffering a stroke and living those years with a physical disability, perhaps not even being able to talk. The burden of stroke on our society is huge.”
Khan conducts about 20 such surgeries each year. Each is gratifying.
“Somebody saying thank you is the biggest reward,” he said. “And if you can change somebody’s quality of life, allow someone to continue having a quality of life, that is priceless. That’s why I get up in the morning.”
Looking to the New Year
McCormack, who was conscious and watched Dr. Khan and his team perform his surgery, left the hospital feeling “amazing.” He continues to feel that way.
“I got dressed, left, went and had sushi and Starbucks, stopped at Home Depot and then went home,” he said. “I get yelled at because I should be lying in bed, taking it easy, but I feel normal and I just want to do things outside.”
Instead of focusing on end-of-life preparations, McCormack is now planning the next phase of his life.
While he’s already checked off 50- and 100-mile runs as well as the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim (R2R2R) — a double crossing of the Canyon known as one of the most famous ultramarathon routes in the world — there’s a world-renowned challenge closer to home he aims to conquer as well.
“The Leadville 100 is on my bucket list before I turn 60,’” he said, referring to a 100-mile mountain trail run known for its ruggedness and dramatic ascents and descents. “I plan to start running again in the spring.
“It’s definitely a good start to 2024.”