David Brown of Bowling Green, Kentucky, thought his life was ending when local surgeons told him nothing more could be done to repair his failing artery. Instead, his cardiologist referred him to Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West in Nashville, where cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Amber Edwards gave him a second chance.
Brown had vascular surgery in 2018, but complications worsened his health. Earlier this year, his surgeons told him his arteries were too calcified for another repair.
“They basically told me there was nothing more they could do,” Brown said. “I was devastated. But my local cardiologist, Dr. Jerry Roy, was not satisfied with that answer. He said, ‘I’m sending you somewhere else.’ That is how I got to Ascension Saint Thomas.”
At Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West, Dr. Edwards explained the surgery would require nontraditional methods, including placing Brown on life support during the procedure.
“When patients reach us after being told there are no further surgical options, our role is to carefully evaluate every possibility,” said Dr. Amber Edwards, cardiothoracic surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West. “In complex cases like Mr. Brown’s, it often requires advanced techniques and a highly coordinated team approach. My priority is to ensure that even the most challenging patients receive every opportunity for the best possible outcome.”
“I really thought I would not make it,” Brown said. “But Dr. Edwards told me, ‘We can do this.’ She saved my life.”
Brown continues to recover and remains grateful.
“I know I will never be the same physically as I was a decade ago, but I am alive,” he said. “I own a business, I farm, I stay busy, and I would not be here without Dr. Edwards and the team at Ascension Saint Thomas. That hospital was a Godsend.”
In 2024, Ascension Saint Thomas expanded access to advanced heart care with the opening of Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Bowling Green at Graves Gilbert Clinic. The nationally recognized cardiac team offers advanced surgical and minimally invasive options that shorten recovery. With more than 80 specialists and 45 locations across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart provides personalized care close to home.
Edwards is part of this nationally recognized team, sharing advanced best practices, research, and treatment advancements. Brown said it was her compassion as a doctor that left a lasting impression.
“She is not just a brilliant surgeon. She is a good person,” he said. “I told her I loved her like a parent because she gave me a second chance at life.”
In June, Graves Gilbert Clinic and Ascension Saint Thomas announced an alliance to create a new outpatient-focused health care system for southcentral Kentucky. The partnership expands diagnostic and treatment options, supports research, and increases access to affordable, high-quality care.
For more information about cardiovascular care at Ascension Saint Thomas, visitascension.org/SaintThomasHeart.
