At 83, Des Plaines' Toni Gibson is a fighter

At the age of 83, Dolores 'Toni' Gibson of Des Plaines had always lived a healthy life. She had not experienced many health issues, had never had a surgery, and had a large support network with three daughters, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. But that all changed last spring when she started to experience shortness of breath.

"We knew something was wrong last June when she started having trouble breathing," recalls Gibson's daughter Dana Mammoser. "When the symptoms got worse, we immediately took her to the emergency room and they had an EKG done. That's when we learned she had atrial fibrillation."

Atrial fibrillation refers to an abnormal heart rhythm resulting in the heart not efficiently pumping blood out to the body. It can lead to chest pain, shortness of breath and even heart failure. You are more likely to get atrial fibrillation if you have heart disease, valvular disease or a heart attack.

During Gibson's work-up the doctors discovered she had severe mitral regurgitation, which means the valve between the upper and lower chambers of the heart on the left side did not close properly, resulting in the upper chamber of the heart being enlarged.

Gibson and her family met with Dr. Frank Lutrin, a cardiovascular surgeon at the Advocate Heart Institute at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, and on June 29 - at the age of 83 - she had her first surgery, an open heart surgery to replace her mitral valve with an artificial tissue valve.

"I remember thinking, this sure is a whopper of a surgery to have as your first ever surgery," Mammoser said.

And a whopper it was. Gibson's family waited patiently the day of her surgery, unsure if she would make it through. But as Mammoser always says, "My mom's a fighter."

And fight she did. Four weeks in the ICU was followed by an additional two and a half weeks at the hospital, for a grand total of a 45-day stay post-surgery.

45 days in the hospital can be a drain on anyone, but especially an 83-year-old without much experience with hospitals. So for Gibson, the bond she formed with surgeon's assistant Susie O'Mara made all the difference.

"I'm not sure what I would have done if it weren't for Susie," Gibson said. "She's truly a special person. Not only was Susie extremely knowledgeable, always there to ease our concerns and answer any lingering questions we might have, but she did it all with a smile on her face. Without her this experience would have been so much more difficult."

Her daughter agrees. "For mom, Susie truly was a lifesaver," Mammoser said. "I remember the day of surgery thinking she might not make it, and throughout that day Susie was there, calming our fears, making sure we were comfortable."

And for Gibson, who is still on the road to recovery, O'Mara is still there for her every step of the way.

"I've lost 25 pounds and I'm still not able to drive, but little by little I'm getting there," Gibson said.

"Before my surgery I taught beading at Roosevelt University making bracelets, among other things, and I've started beading Susie a bracelet that looks like a zipper. They say people who have open heart surgery are all part of the zipper club because of the scar on their chest and I want Susie to be part of that club too with this bracelet. Because honestly she got me through this."