CHICAGO – After serving 21 years in the U.S. Army, Louis Smith’s heart only functioned at 10 percent. The father of three from Country Club Hills, Ill., had been visiting the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center (JBVA) for about one year before his symptoms suddenly got worse. Just before Thanksgiving 2023, the then 65-year-old was told he needed a new heart.  

Louis was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he waited just two weeks for his new heart. Before his transplant surgery on December 31, 2023, he wasn’t nervous, wasn’t scared, but did have one request for his surgeon.  

“Can you do me a favor? When you cut me, can you try to save the tattoo on my chest?” said Smith. “It’s a saying that me and my late father used to say. We would listen to ‘I did it my way’ by Frank Sinatra. That’s our saying. If you can please not destroy the tattoo, I’ll be just fine.” 

Benjamin Bryner, MD, a cardiac surgeon at Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, made sure both the incision and stiches would preserve every inch of Smith’s tattoo.  

“Mr. Smith had some tattoos that we were eager to save as best we could,” said Dr. Bryner. “There’s no way to do a transplant without leaving a scar behind, but we did our best to make sure the tattoos would at least line up and we were happy with the final results.”

Serving His Country and Needing a New Heart

Smith enlisted in the Army when he was just 17 years old, following in the footsteps of his father. His more than two decades of service took him through tours in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Germany, and Korea, but feeling his heart begin to fail was something this soldier was not prepared for.  

“I used to wake up every morning around two o’clock,” said Smith. “It felt like somebody was either choking me or standing on my chest. And I couldn’t breathe. It was like somebody just turned off my air.” 

Smith suffered from cardiac amyloidosis, an underdiagnosed disease that causes heart failure. It occurs when protein builds up and is deposited in tissues where it isn’t supposed to be. This can lead to organ damage, notably in the heart. Cardiac amyloidosis impacts up to 25 percent of people over the age of 80, with African American patients at a higher risk.  

During his time in the Army, Smith was active and never had any issues with his health. He was 63 years old by the time he learned about the genetic condition he’s had since birth. Because his case was so advanced, not only did he need a heart transplant, but Sarah Chuzi, MD, a heart failure and heart transplantation specialist at Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and JBVA, recommended he be moved up on the list.  

“I went to visit him in the hospital and noticed he was short of breath just walking from his bed to the bathroom,” said Dr. Chuzi. “That was so out of character for him, so unlike him. I could tell that he really felt like things were changing rapidly. So, we recommended that he not only be listed for heart transplant but that he be listed at a very high status which gave him priority on the heart transplant list.”

Almost one year later, Smith is doing well and is back to his old routine. He enjoys spending time with his wife of 47 years, Jacquelyn, his three children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Smith is an avid biker, and often takes cross-country trips with friends on his motorcycle. He’s even taken one trip with his new heart.  

“I’m a soldier and a heart transplant survivor,” said Smith. “And I love my new heart.” 

More about the Advanced Heat Failure Clinic at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center 

For more than 77 years, Northwestern Medicine has partnered with the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center (JBVA) in Chicago. Medical residents from the hospital system rotate through the VA clinic during their medical training, and it’s the longest-running academic affiliation in the VA system.  

In 2022, Sarah Chuzi, MD, a heart failure and heart transplantation specialist at Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, established an Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at JBVA. Dr. Chuzi rotated through JBVA during her medical training and since then, she’s dedicated her career to helping veterans.

“The JBVA is very unique,” said Dr. Chuzi. “We serve about 62,000 veterans and about 70 percent of those veterans identify as Black. That is a population that is very underserved for a number of reasons. They face a lot of health barriers but also a lot of structural barriers to health like systemic racism, a lot of trauma, and PTSD. The combination of all these factors really does adversely affect their health.”

The clinic offers evidence-based heart failure care that includes medical therapy, devices, and other diagnostic tests and procedures. Patients from the heart failure clinic are often referred to Northwestern Medicine for specialized surgeries and treatments. Dr. Chuzi and her team will soon participate in heart failure clinical trials out of JBVA, including ones looking at new medications to improve patient outcomes.

To learn more about heart failure treatment options, visit nm.org. 

In the United States, breast cancer incidence in Hispanic women is 28 percent lower than in non-Hispanic white women, who have the highest incidence rate. Despite these lower occurrence rates, Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and have a 30 percent higher mortality rate highlighting the significant health disparities this population faces when it comes to accessing high-quality breast cancer care and screening.  

“What we see in the Hispanic community is that the women are being diagnosed at later stages, even though their diagnosis tends to be at a younger age,” says Claudia Tellez, MD, a medical oncologist at Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine. “And because they’re being diagnosed at a later stage, their cancers are generally more aggressive, and the prognosis is less favorable.” 

Dr. Tellez is working to change this by breaking down barriers and providing Chicago’s Hispanic women with better access to breast cancer screening, treatment and research with the recently launched Lurie Cancer Center Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  

“Many Hispanic women in Chicago struggle to access care or are not receiving the highest standard of care because of language barriers, financial limitations and other factors,” says Dr. Tellez, medical director of the new clinic. “Our team is dedicated to addressing these disparities and improving access by providing culturally sensitive care, bilingual support, and educational resources tailored to the needs of Hispanic patients.”  

Led by Dr. Tellez, who is a native of Colombia, the Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic offers personalized care from a multidisciplinary team of breast cancer experts, supportive care specialists and administrative staff who all speak Spanish. The core clinic team includes a physician, nurse, medical assistant, social worker and research assistant.  

“Getting a breast cancer diagnosis is scary and overwhelming – even more so when you can’t access care in your preferred language,” says Dr. Tellez. “Patients who come to us can expect a safe and welcoming environment where each person they encounter – starting from their first phone call through their treatment – will speak Spanish. We want every patient to be confident in her treatment plan and feel comfortable communicating with a care team that embraces her culture and speaks her preferred language.”  

One of Dr. Tellez’s goals with the new clinic is to increase the number of Hispanic patients participating in clinical trials for breast cancer, an area where they are consistently underrepresented.  

“Breast cancer patients that are Hispanic represent about a third in the city of Chicago. A third of the patients that we’re seeing for clinical trials should be Hispanic,” says Dr. Tellez “And yet, we see less than 10 percent Hispanic patients participating in clinical trials in the city of Chicago. And for pharmaceutical company trials, it’s even lower at around 2.5 percent.” 

In addition to often being diagnosed younger and with later stage cancers, Hispanic women are at higher-risk for triple-negative breast cancer and HER-2 positive breast cancer, aggressive subtypes of the disease that require a targeted, specific treatment plan.  

“There are distinctive features about Hispanic women with breast cancer. For instance, they have subtypes of breast cancer that are unique, and we need to be aware of that and treat them accordingly,” says Dr. Tellez. “Participation in clinical trials often means access to new drugs or treatments that aren’t available otherwise. More participation and representation also create an opportunity for clinical trials that are very specific to those subtypes, such as triple negative, and can help improve treatments for the disease.”       

Community outreach and partnerships with Hispanic health advocates will be an important element to the success of the new Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic.  

 “We’re working with community groups and health advocates who are known and trusted in the community. Together, we want to ensure that Hispanic women are knowledgeable about the importance of regular screenings and early detection,” says Dr. Tellez. “And if they need care, we’re here and ready to help. Our goal is to ensure that every patient who walks through our door has the information, education and resources needed for the best possible outcome in their breast cancer journey,”  

On Saturday, October 28, Dr. Tellez will participate in Lurie Cancer Center’s annual Breast Cancer Community Forum for Hispanic women. The event will feature educational presentations in Spanish about breast cancer, followed by an interactive discussion with a panel of experts who will answer questions about treatments, surgeries, as well as the emotions and challenges faced by cancer survivors. The event is free and open to the public. Register online: Foro Comunitario Sobre Cáncer de Seno.  

To schedule an appointment with the Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic, call our Spanish-speaking patient liaison at 312.472.0805 (TTY: 711) or visit the clinic's website in Spanish or English.

B-ROLL, SOUNDBITES & PHOTOS: Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic - Dropbox 

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL DEL COMUNICADO DE PRENSA: El Centro Oncológico Lurie lanza una clínica hispana de cáncer de mama en el Northwestern Memorial Hospital
 
For more information about Northwestern Medicine, visit https://news.nm.org/.  

Dr. Simpson joined Northwestern Medicine in 2018. She developed the Northwestern Medicine African American Transplant Access Program (AATAP) to increase equitable access to transplantation and to help patients address cultural concerns and overcome modifiable structural and institutional barriers to receive care they need. With her new role, she will continue to provide clinical leadership over AATAP.

“Dr. Simpson is deeply committed to health equity, and she has long endeavored to address the issues that prevent patients from accessing high-quality care to achieve their highest quality of health,” said Howard Chrisman, MD, president and chief executive officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “Her background in transplant health equity, as well as her ability to listen and partner with communities and other leaders, will help us reduce barriers and better serve our patients and their families.”

After completing medical school at New York University, Dr. Simpson moved to Boston for a surgical residency through Harvard Medical School and completed her transplant surgery fellowship training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to her clinical focus on liver and kidney transplants and her work as an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Organ Transplantation at Feinberg School of Medicine, Dr. Simpson is the vice chair of faculty development and diversity in the Department of Surgery.

She sits on the board of directors for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, and is the past diversity, equity and inclusion adviser for the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). She chaired the ASTS Boldly Against Racism Task Force and was recently elected to sit on the society’s board of councilors.

“I am beyond proud to be a part of this institution that has called out health equity as a main pillar of its core values," Dr. Simpson said. "Health equity is a space where there is always room for discovery, growth and improvement. It is with humility that I embrace this opportunity to guide Northwestern Medicine’s system-wide approach as we leverage the strengths of our clinicians, administrators, educators and researchers to better serve our communities. We must continue to critically evaluate and address health disparities for all and seek new ways to enhance wellness in all the communities we serve.”

​​​​​​​“Employees of all abilities choose Northwestern Medicine as their employer because we are committed to helping them succeed,” said Diane Wayne, MD, vice president, administration, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “We value each employee’s contributions and continue to develop new ways to enhance our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”

DEI uses benchmarks to help companies build measurable, tangible actions they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score from zero to 100; those earning 80 and above are recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

One of the ways Northwestern Medicine seeks authentic employee feedback is through the NM Champion Network Disability Chapter, which was formed in 2020 to strengthen the network of employees with disabilities and their allies. The employee-led network promotes diversity, equity and inclusion for colleagues with disabilities as well as for colleagues who are allies of people with disabilities.

“The Disability Chapter has expanded our sense of community and evolved NM’s culture of inclusion,” said Erin Kinahan, co-executive sponsor of the NM Champion Network Disability Chapter and vice president, office of the general counsel. “Our members have honest conversations and develop initiatives that lead to positive changes within our organization. We also host educational sessions and participate in community events. It has been powerful to see how a group of positive, forward-thinking colleagues can make our workplace more inclusive and supportive.”