--- title: "Thankful Dad Beats the Odds With Life-Saving Heart Care | Sutter Health" description: "Christopher Dowd is grateful to have more time with his family thanks to the cardiovascular care he received at Alta Bates Summit." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/thankful-dad-beats-the-odds-with-life-saving-heart-care-2033987021" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Patient Stories](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) / 3. Thankful Dad Beats the Odds With Life-Saving Heart Care # Thankful Dad Beats the Odds With Life-Saving Heart Care Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Summit Campus * * * 2025 Contributors: [Sonia Garg](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-sonia-garg-1078057555), [Junaid Khan](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-junaid-h-khan-1046238014) “When I close my eyes and think about what I could have missed, I see my family my wife Fiona, my kids Theo and Oscar. I would have missed out on just being with them," says Christopher Dowd. It started as an ordinary morning last spring. Christopher Dowd had just woken up when he collapsed on the bathroom floor at his home in Richmond, CA. His dogs barked, his kids rushed in and his wife Fiona called 911. When the paramedics arrived, they immediately recognized the 54-year-old’s irregular heart rhythm and made a critical decision: “We’re going to Oakland.” That choice likely saved his life. “When Chris arrived at Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center — Summit Campus, he was having a severe heart attack and was as sick as a patient can get,” recalls [Sonia Garg, M.D.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-sonia-garg-1078057555) , an advanced heart failure specialist with Sutter East Bay Medical Group who practices at Alta Bates Summit in Oakland. “He was rushed to the cath lab, where two blocked arteries were treated with four stents.” The cath lab team quickly intervened to address blockages in Dowd’s coronary arteries. After the procedure, he was transferred to the intensive care unit, where his recovery seemed promising. During rounds, he spoke about his 18-year-old son choosing between colleges in San Diego and Santa Cruz, joking about which would be the “party school.” He was grateful for the care that allowed him to be there for his son’s future. But just twenty-four hours later, Dowd faced a devastating complication — a ruptured papillary muscle inside his heart. “The rupture meant his mitral valve couldn’t close, and blood was flowing backward. He was in cardiogenic shock and imminently going to die,” recalls [Junaid Khan, M.D., FACC, FACS](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-junaid-h-khan-1046238014)****,**** a thoracic and cardiac surgeon and director of Cardiovascular Services at Alta Bates Summit. “The team replaced the valve — a complex, high-risk surgery. In Chris’s case, every advanced technique Alta Bates Summit could offer, including ECMO****\***** support, valve replacement, multiple surgeries and continuous critical care was provided.” From the emergency department to the cath lab, ICU and operating room, Dowd was surrounded by caregivers — nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and more. “When someone gets that sick, a lot of different teams have to come together,” says Dr. Garg. She explains that this collaboration is “the purpose of having a multidisciplinary cardiovascular team like the one at Alta Bates Summit.” One ICU nurse even created a journal to capture moments Dowd couldn’t remember. “It was a small gesture, but it means so much to me,” he says. “Sutter Health bringing such high level of cardiovascular care to the East Bay community really speaks highly to what the people here really want to do,” says Dr. Garg. “It’s not just about the patient. It’s about their family and the lives that they touch, the change and the difference that they make in their community.” Today, Dowd is home, wearing a life vest for protection and watching hockey with his family. “I see things differently now,” he reflects. “There’s an opportunity for me to be a better person, to make the people who cared for me proud. I want them to know — it’s worth it.” \*ECMO is an abbreviation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a life-saving machine that acts as an artificial heart and lungs to circulate blood, adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide for patients with severe heart or lung failure. ## Discover similar stories Choose a service topic below to read more stories like this one. [Heart and vascular](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Heart+and+vascular%22%5D%7D%5D) ## Your Partners in Heart Health Your cardiovascular health can’t wait. Come to us for advanced heart care, from blood pressure management to transplants. [Request a Referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Meet our care team ![Sonia Garg, M.D.](http://a.mktgcdn.com/p/HgGT457hnfWKlgCnfMiEsf10WMjFZgOJju06D3sVnn0/480x480.png) [Sonia Garg, M.D.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-sonia-garg-1078057555) Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Cardiovascular Disease ![Junaid H. Khan, M.D., FACC, FACS](https://a.mktgcdn.com/p/9pRbknpaWh4Ic9D_T-Qn0VwsH5NF_SxnjcOeGB_xMiA/480x480.jpg) [Junaid H. Khan, M.D., FACC, FACS](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-junaid-h-khan-1046238014) Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery Cardiothoracic Surgery ## Related articles [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) - Patient story ### [How Personalized Care Kept a Drummer's Heart Safe](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/personalized-heart-care-1078067836) Musician Bill Oaks plays on after receiving treatment for heart failure without surgery. - Patient story ### [Center Tracks Pacemaker So Cyclist Can Blaze Trails Worry-Free](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/center-tracks-pacemaker-so-cyclist-can-blaze-trails-worry-free-2023563886) Outfitted with a new pacemaker, bicycling enthusiast Bruce Patt is back on the American River Bike Trail doing what he loves. - Patient story ### [Small device, big impact: Research brings new hope for failing hearts](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/small-device-big-impact-research-brings-new-hope-for-failing-hearts-2032168138) Thanks to a clinical trial, Karine Gasparyan says mitral valve replacement allowed her to enjoy life and look positively toward her future. [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) ## Disclaimer _Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary based upon circumstances and the healthcare provider’s medical judgment. Testimonials or statements made by any person(s) within this site are not intended to guarantee outcomes or substitute for medical advice._ ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/thankful-dad-beats-the-odds-with-life-saving-heart-care-2033987021#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patient Stories","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Thankful Dad Beats the Odds With Life-Saving Heart Care"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/thankful-dad-beats-the-odds-with-life-saving-heart-care-2033987021#videoobject","name":"Patient Reflects on Sutter's Life-Saving Advanced Heart Failure Care at ABSMC","inLanguage":"en-US","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/3ec21944-0332-494a-b119-3733247bf70a/e578fbe5-3229-4708-a348-8d6bd80e0fff/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2025-10-31T19:26:17.825Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6384358962112","description":"In April 2025, Christopher Dowd’s life changed forever. The 54-year-old arrived at the Emergency Department of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Summit Campus in the throes of ventricular tachycardia, a life-threatening heart rhythm disturbance. ","duration":"PT3M54S","transcript":"CHRIS: When I close my eyes,\nwhen I think about things I could have missed out on,\nI see my family, my kids, Theo and Oscar, my wife Fiona,\nthe summer that we got to spend together.\nI mean, I would have missed out on just being with them.\n[WHOOSH]\nIt was a morning, early morning.\nI had gone to the bathroom.\nAnd the next thing I knew, I was on the floor.\nThe dogs were barking and my kids were there.\nAnd then my wife came and said, I'm calling 911.\nThe paramedics hooked me up and saw the irregular rhythm\nand just said, we're going to Oakland.\nRight there, that probably saved my life.\n[WHOOSH]\nSONIA GARG: When Chris came to the hospital,\nhe was having a very severe type of heart attack.\nHe was as sick as a patient can get.\nIt was extremely dire for him.\nHe was emergently taken to the cath lab\nand found to have two blocked arteries\nand treated with four stents, and unfortunately, 24 hours\nlater, suffered a very complex complication\nof his heart attack.\n[WHOOSH]\nJUNAID KHAN: Chris's heart attack\nwas so big it had completely killed off\none of the muscles inside the heart that connects to a valve.\nThis valve was not able to close,\nand the blood in the heart was all flowing backwards.\nHe was in cardiogenic shock, and was imminently going to die.\nSometimes we can repair the mitral valve.\nBut when there's a full rupture, there's nothing to repair.\nSo we replaced the mitral valve.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]\nFor the vast majority of cardiovascular patients,\nwe employ one or two techniques in to get them to survive.\nIn Chris's case, every single thing that we can offer\nwas offered to Chris during his admission here.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]\nSONIA GARG: When someone in the hospital gets that sick,\na lot of different teams have to come together.\nWe have several nurses, the cath lab staff,\nor interventional cardiologists, CT surgeons, advanced heart\nfailure like myself.\nAnd that's the purpose of having a multidisciplinary\ncardiovascular team.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]\nSutter Health bringing such high level of cardiovascular care\nto the East Bay community really speaks\nhighly to what the people here really want to do.\nIt's not just about the patient.\nIt's about their family and the lives\nthat they touch, the change and the difference\nthat they make in their community.\n[WHOOSH]\nOftentimes, patients, they don't have memory\nof what happened to them.\nSo one of the nurses decided to create a journal for Chris\nto capture key moments in his recovery.\nCHRIS DOWD: Five nurses, three doctors,\nand a respiratory therapist at your bedside to help--\nI do remember that.\nYeah, I do remember holding-- yeah, I remember--\nI'm so grateful because I was all over that hospital.\nAnd right down the line, everyone was fantastic.\nOne of the ICU nurses, Stephanie, got this.\nThey signed it, kind of a small, very thoughtful gesture.\nBut this means so much to me, I can't even tell you.\n[WHOOSH]\n[MUSIC PLAYING]\nSONIA GARG: See how the function of the heart\nis now actually squeezing when it wasn't before?\nCHRIS DOWD: Right.\nSONIA GARG: So we've made a lot of progress actually.\nYou're doing much better.\nCHRIS DOWD: I feel really energized now to keep going.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]\n[WHOOSH]\nRight now I see Fiona, and Theo, and Oscar.\nBut because of the experience and because I've\nlived through it, I see things differently now.\nThere's an opportunity for me to be a better person,\nbe impactful in a positive way, so all the people that cared\nfor me, they'll be proud of me.\nI want them to know that it's worth it.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/thankful-dad-beats-the-odds-with-life-saving-heart-care-2033987021#article","name":"Thankful Dad Beats the Odds With Life-Saving Heart Care","headline":"Thankful Dad Beats the Odds With Life-Saving Heart Care","abstract":"Christopher Dowd is 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I close my eyes and think about what I could have missed, I see my family my wife Fiona, my kids Theo and Oscar. I would have missed out on just being with them,\" says Christopher Dowd. It started as an ordinary morning last spring. Christopher Dowd had just woken up when he collapsed on the bathroom floor at his home in Richmond, CA. His dogs barked, his kids rushed in and his wife Fiona called 911. When the paramedics arrived, they immediately recognized the 54-year-old’s irregular heart rhythm and made a critical decision: “We’re going to Oakland.” That choice likely saved his life. “When Chris arrived at Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center — Summit Campus, he was having a severe heart attack and was as sick as a patient can get,” recalls Sonia Garg, M.D., an advanced heart failure specialist with Sutter East Bay Medical Group who practices at Alta Bates Summit in Oakland. “He was rushed to the cath lab, where two blocked arteries were treated with four stents.” The cath lab team quickly intervened to address blockages in Dowd’s coronary arteries. After the procedure, he was transferred to the intensive care unit, where his recovery seemed promising. During rounds, he spoke about his 18-year-old son choosing between colleges in San Diego and Santa Cruz, joking about which would be the “party school.” He was grateful for the care that allowed him to be there for his son’s future. But just twenty-four hours later, Dowd faced a devastating complication — a ruptured papillary muscle inside his heart. “The rupture meant his mitral valve couldn’t close, and blood was flowing backward. He was in cardiogenic shock and imminently going to die,” recalls Junaid Khan, M.D., FACC, FACS, a thoracic and cardiac surgeon and director of Cardiovascular Services at Alta Bates Summit. “The team replaced the valve — a complex, high-risk surgery. In Chris’s case, every advanced technique Alta Bates Summit could offer, including ECMO* support, valve replacement, multiple surgeries and continuous critical care was provided.” From the emergency department to the cath lab, ICU and operating room, Dowd was surrounded by caregivers — nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and more. “When someone gets that sick, a lot of different teams have to come together,” says Dr. Garg. She explains that this collaboration is “the purpose of having a multidisciplinary cardiovascular team like the one at Alta Bates Summit.” One ICU nurse even created a journal to capture moments Dowd couldn’t remember. “It was a small gesture, but it means so much to me,” he says. “Sutter Health bringing such high level of cardiovascular care to the East Bay community really speaks highly to what the people here really want to do,” says Dr. Garg. “It’s not just about the patient. It’s about their family and the lives that they touch, the change and the difference that they make in their community.” Today, Dowd is home, wearing a life vest for protection and watching hockey with his family. “I see things differently now,” he reflects. “There’s an opportunity for me to be a better person, to make the people who cared for me proud. I want them to know — it’s worth it.” *ECMO is an abbreviation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a life-saving machine that acts as an artificial heart and lungs to circulate blood, adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide for patients with severe heart or lung failure.","mentions":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-sonia-garg-1078057555#Person","name":"Sonia Garg, M.D."},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-junaid-h-khan-1046238014#Person","name":"Junaid H. Khan, M.D., FACC, FACS"}]} ```