Sometimes the most extraordinary patient journeys begin with a simple phone call. In this special “Save My Piggies” edition of The Heart of Innovation, I’m sharing the remarkable story of Patrick, whose determination led him from Florida to Ohio in search of the right doctor to save his legs – and how he found that doctor through our very own The Heart of Innovation broadcasts.
FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW
The Call That Changed Everything
It was an ordinary day at the Global PAD Association when Patrick called our Leg Saver hotline (1-833-PAD-LEGS). Driving from Chicago to Florida and experiencing excruciating leg pain, he reached out in desperation. Little did I know this call would lead to one of the most inspiring patient journeys we’ve featured on our “Save My Piggies” episodes.
“I was experiencing leg pain,” Patrick told me during our recent Heart of Innovation broadcast. “And so I knew I had to get back to Florida to see my surgeon there. So I called your hotline number.”
That call connected Patrick with Douglas, our PAD Warrior Task Force Chairman, who spent over 30 minutes talking with Patrick about walking as medicine – how consistent walking can help develop collateral blood vessels to bypass blockages. It was the beginning of Patrick’s education about his condition, but far from the end of his journey.
When “Quick Care” Isn’t Quality Care
After returning to Florida and symptoms worsened despite a regimented walking program, Patrick sought treatment from local surgeons. What he encountered should serve as a warning sign to anyone dealing with peripheral artery disease.
“My surgeon down in Naples, Florida, he tried to be in and out in less than a half hour,” Patrick explained, frustration evident in his voice. “He couldn’t through my blockages quickly, so it’s like, in and out and go on to the next client.”
This “assembly line” approach to vascular care is something I warn patients about constantly. Complex PAD cases – especially those involving multiple blockages or previous procedures – require time, patience, and expertise. When Patrick told me about his experience with doctors rushing through procedures, I wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t getting results.
Even more concerning, Patrick discovered that many of the specialists he consulted didn’t have the tools or knowledge to address his specific situation with multiple blockages in stents above the knee as well as blockages that had formed later in his arteries below his knee, which is typical for diabetics. He told us that they couldn’t or wouldn’t attempt to clear it using advanced techniques like pedal access (going through the foot).
“The surgeons down in Florida, no one was willing to or knew how to go through the foot if they couldn’t get through my blockage coming down from the groin.” They didn’t have the tools that Dr. Phillips had,” he shared.
One surgeon claimed to have a specialized device (the Diamondback 360) but didn’t even have it available in the operating room. Patrick was understandably disappointed – and increasingly worried about his options.
“I knew through your show that, like Dr. Phillips said, he won’t give up,” Patrick explained. “Dr. Phillips has the tools, he can solve the problem.”
From Viewer to Patient: The Power of Education
What makes Patrick’s story particularly meaningful to me is how he took his health journey into his own hands through education. It’s not often you see a patient that can talk about the different tools and techniques that may be available to open arteries and not settle for amputation.
How did he learn this information?
For months, while dealing with debilitating claudication pain that limited his ability to walk and enjoy life, Patrick immersed himself in our content.
“I would go to a coffee shop every day, and I’d watch your videos. I’d watch them at home,” he recalled. “How am I going to solve this problem?”
Patrick wasn’t just passively consuming information – he was becoming an informed advocate for his own care. He learned about different treatment approaches, specialized tools, and the importance of finding a doctor with the right expertise and commitment. He could identify devices by name and understand approaches like pedal access that many general vascular specialists don’t offer.
“I was depressed and sad about this. I can’t find the right surgeon. They don’t want to use the tools.” Patrick shared. “And the major bypass scared me because if the artery is already clogged and then they want to do the other bypass, if the bypass gets clogged, well, then what’s the third choice? After that, they want to cut your leg off.”
That’s the devastating reality many PAD patients face – the feeling that amputation is inevitable when procedures fail. But as Patrick learned through our broadcasts, that doesn’t have to be the case.
“You and Dr. Phillips taught me that there are options for us. If we find the right surgeons like Dr. Phillips that can unblock an artery and will take the time, we have options.”
The Journey to Dr. Phillips
While there are a large number of vascular specialists across Florida with advanced skills, Patrick struggled on his own to find the one he felt was right for him. By late February, not wanting to suffer any longer trying to vet doctors in his area, Patrick had made his decision to travel for his care. After nearly four months of watching our shows and researching his options, he felt Dr. Phillips in Columbus, Ohio was the perfect fit – over 1,000 miles from his home in Florida.
“It took me a while to get to him, but I should have just gone to him first through watching you,” Patrick admitted.
When Patrick finally arrived for his consultation with Dr. Phillips in April, it was a moment of recognition for both of them. Dr. Phillips, who regularly co-hosts our Heart of Innovation shows with me, immediately realized this wasn’t just any patient – this was someone who had sought him out specifically because of our work raising awareness about PAD treatment options.
“It got me thinking like, wow, there’s more of a reach and an impact that this show has than I anticipated,” Dr. Phillips reflected during our broadcast. “But it also made me feel like there’s a fiduciary responsibility… This gentleman took time out of his life to come see us. And I feel like there’s a responsibility not more so than others, but I mean, it’s a little bit like, man, I really need to figure out a way to help this guy.”
That moment speaks volumes about the kind of doctor Dr. Phillips is – and why Patrick’s instincts to seek him out were spot on. While some doctors see patients as cases to be processed as quickly as possible, Dr. Phillips saw the trust Patrick had placed in him by traveling so far and felt a deep responsibility to honor that trust.
A Complex Case Requires Masterful Care
In realizing that walking and medicine hadn’t been enough to help relieve Patrick’s symptoms and a previous revascularization attempt had failed, Dr. Phillips moved forward with scheduling an angiogram, where he could get a better look inside his arteries and treat if necessary.
The treatment Patrick needed was far from routine.
Having had multiple stents placed in his left leg years earlier, with overlapping layers and complete blockages, his case presented significant challenges.
“It was probably one of the harder cases that I had to do to try to get through some of these blockages,” Dr. Phillips explained. Unlike the doctors who gave up after 30 minutes, Dr. Phillips was committed to spending the time to see if he could find a solution to ease Patrick’s pain.
Using a laser device to break up the plaque and restore flow through the blocked stents, Dr. Phillips encountered a critical moment when debris from the procedure threatened to block the one remaining artery supplying blood to Patrick’s foot.
“There was so much debris that we use a little device to catch it and that kind of overflowed,” Dr. Phillips shared. “It blocked off the only artery that he had left in the leg below the knee. And we had to go suck that out.”
This moment illustrates exactly why patients with complex PAD need specialists with advanced training and a full arsenal of tools. Had this complication occurred with a less experienced physician, the outcome could have been catastrophic. It’s also why advanced specialists like Dr. Phillips don’t rush into doing procedures unless absolutely necessary, because there are serious risks, especially with only one vessel out of three channeling blood flow into the foot as in Patrick’s case.
“I thought, man, this is not what I want to have happen right now for this poor guy,” Dr. Phillips admitted. “But no, you just have to have a little perseverance.”
That perseverance paid off.
Dr. Phillips successfully cleared the blockage in the stents without having to place additional stents as well as clearing the debris that had collected during the procedure distally, preserving Patrick’s options for future treatment if needed. “I made sure we preserved landing zones in case a bypass is ever needed for Patrick, which is incredibly important — to always keep contingency plans in mind with every procedure,” explained Dr. Phillips. “It felt pretty good at the end,” he added – an understatement that doesn’t capture the life-changing impact this success had for Patrick.
In fact, the case was so instructive that Dr. Phillips now uses it as a teaching example: “I’m teaching a course for Phillips at the end of August and his case I’m using as a teaching point for a number of things.”
Addressing the Root Causes: Beyond the Procedure
At the Global PAD Association, we know that saving legs isn’t just about clearing blockages – it’s about addressing the underlying conditions that cause those blockages in the first place. For Patrick, as for many PAD patients, diabetes was a significant contributing factor.
That’s why we connected Patrick with Dr. Michael Dansinger, our Chief Medical Officer and world-renowned diabetes reversal expert at DiabetesReversalPartners.com. Patrick has been working with Dr. Dansinger to bring his blood sugar under control, a critical step in preventing future vascular problems.
“My A1C is down to an eight,” Patrick shared during our conversation. “By the next time I do a blood draw, it should be like 6.8, so I’ll be in the safety zone.” Dr. Dansinger will still work to get him down below 6 over time.
Patrick admitted he had struggled with dietary changes while dealing with the stress of his leg issues. “I had too much sugar sometimes, like strawberry banana smoothies and stuff like that and pizza. I was a bad boy,” he confessed with a smile.
But with his leg pain resolved, Patrick now has renewed motivation to focus on his overall health. “I definitely see the benefit. I have to be under seven. So I have no excuse now. I’m healthy now because of Dr. Phillips. So there’s no more excuses.”
Dr. Phillips emphasized the connection between diabetes and PAD during our broadcast: “I truly believe that it is an inflammatory process. There’s clearly something about the inflammation and the diabetes that certainly affects our kind of global inflammatory state.”
So, while a doctor may do their part in clearing the blockages, they’re not going to stay open long unless diabetes is controlled.
This comprehensive approach – addressing both the immediate blockages and the underlying conditions – is essential for long-term success in PAD treatment.
From Limitation to Liberation: Patrick’s New Life
The transformation in Patrick’s life since his procedure has been nothing short of remarkable. From being unable to enjoy a state fair because of excruciating pain, he’s now planning trips across the country and around the world.
“Life is great,” Patrick told us with genuine enthusiasm. “I’ll be in Chicago Friday, I’ll be back in Columbus on the 5th to see Dr. Phillips again. I’m gonna go to La Jolla next month, going to Egypt in January, maybe San Francisco in March for an AI convention. I can travel.”
When I suggested we should walk across the Golden Gate Bridge together when he visits San Francisco, Patrick was all in. This is a man who, just months earlier, couldn’t walk through a fair without debilitating pain. Now he’s contemplating walking across one of the longest bridges in the world – and filming it for our channel as inspiration for others.
Patrick is also getting back to his regular exercise routine: “I’m going to be back going to my gym on Friday. I go to like an LA Fitness. And I’m going back to the gym five days a week.”
This is the ultimate victory for PAD patients – regaining the freedom to move, to travel, to exercise, to live life on their own terms instead of being limited by pain and fear.
Lessons from Patrick’s Journey: What Every PAD Patient Should Know
When I asked Patrick what advice he would give to others watching our show, his answer was clear and powerful:
“The best advice is listen to your show, get a second or third opinion, but you need a critical limb salvage specialist. And people are talking to people that are not critical limb salvage specialists, and they’re not gonna get the result they want because certain surgeons only know certain things.”
Patrick’s journey highlights several crucial lessons for anyone dealing with PAD:
- Don’t rush into a procedure. Patrick wishes he didn’t have the stents placed five years prior. Instead, he wished his doctor got him on a regimented walking program such as the “My Steps” program (Patient Sign-up Here) offered by the Global PAD Association to start building ‘natural bypass’. “The stents just ended up blocked up and more,” says Patrick.
- Don’t settle for rushed care. If your doctor is trying to get through your procedure in 30 minutes or less, that’s a red flag. Complex PAD cases require time and patience.
- Seek out true expertise. Not all vascular specialists have the same training, tools, or techniques. Look specifically for critical limb salvage specialists who have experience with advanced approaches. You can learn more on the Global PAD Association’s Find A Doctor page.
- Educate yourself. Patrick spent months watching our videos and learning about his condition. That knowledge empowered him to seek out the right care instead of accepting limited options. Go to youtube.com/@thewaytomyheart for more than 1,000 videos on a variety of topics related to PAD.
- Address the root causes. Treating the blockages is essential, but managing conditions like diabetes is equally important for long-term success.
- Be willing to travel if necessary. The right doctor might not be in your hometown, but as Patrick’s story shows, traveling for the right care can be life-changing. You can always call the Leg Saver Hotline for assistance in finding an advanced skilled specialist near you at 1-833-PAD-LEGS.
Your Legs Are Worth Fighting For
Patrick’s journey from Florida to Ohio in search of the right doctor is a powerful reminder that when it comes to PAD, persistence pays off. He refused to accept that amputation was inevitable. He refused to believe there were no other options. He refused to give up on his legs – and because of that determination, he’s now living a full, active life again.
“Thank God I found your show and I found the two of you,” Patrick told us during the broadcast – words that remind me why we do this work every day at the Global PAD Association.
If you’re dealing with PAD or know someone who is, remember Patrick’s story. Remember that there are options beyond what your local doctor might offer. Remember that the right specialist with the right tools can make all the difference.
Call our Leg Saver hotline at 1-833-PAD-LEGS for personalized guidance from our team of PAD warriors and medical experts. Join our support community at PADSupportGroup.org to connect with others who understand what you’re going through. Visit our YouTube channel at youtube.com/thewaytotheheart to learn about treatment options, hear from specialists like Dr. Phillips, and be inspired by stories like Patrick’s.
Your legs are worth fighting for. Don’t stop until you find a doctor who won’t stop fighting for them too.
Disclaimer:
Save My Piggies is a series of real patients and professionals sharing their individual experiences.
Individual results may vary, patient testimonials are not claimed to represent typical results or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
This series is for educational purposes only and any advice offered is not a substitute for medical advice from your own supervising physician. Do not act on any information provided in this series without the explicit consent from your healthcare team.
For information on vascular diseases go to www.PADhelp.org.