Jim Lee was experiencing shakes and chills. He thought he had the flu until, “And all of a sudden, I heard him one night rumbling around, and I got up, and he didn't know me,” said his wife Holly Devan.

They called 911 and Jim was sent to a nearby hospital. He was hallucinating and lost his liver and kidney function. Tests later revealed he had a bacterial infection. He needed to replace 3 valves in a major openheart surgery. “Jim's doctor felt very strongly that the only surgeon who could do the surgery properly was down at HealthPark and at Lee Health, Dr. DiGiorgi,” said Devan.

After successful surgery at HealthPark, then came the recovery. “I was always being attended by a group of nurses or a group of doctors. And they would pick up on things that I was not even aware of,” said Lee. “Highly professional. All I can say.”

Jim’s been on a whole food, plantbased diet since 2007. “They all went out of their way to say that I survived the operation based on lifestyle and my diet. And I was shocked,” said Lee.

Nurses and PT’s then came to his home after discharge. “So even after we left the hospital, we felt cared for,” said Devan. Jim’s currently enrolled in cardiac rehab. “Yes, I do feel like I've gotten stronger,” he said. “When I leave a rehab session, when I get home, I notice that I have more bounce in my step and I have more stamina.”

While a full recovery doesn’t happen overnight, he’s made tremendous strides and he’s happy to be back at home with his wife Holly as he continues gaining strength.


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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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