Dale Solarz has never been one to sit still.
The 90-year-old parishioner of St. Michael in Mount Airy has plenty to keep him busy: 12 grandchildren, a regular tee time and a 60-year-long membership in the Knights of Columbus.
And this year, he reached a medical milestone when he became the first patient at Ascension St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore to successfully undergo a coronary atherectomy procedure.
For Solarz, the coronary atherectomy was the first step toward getting clearance for his future knee surgery. When Dr. Matthew R. Voss, the cardiologist who performed the procedure, learned that Solarz needed the surgery, he saw a perfect opportunity to use a new piece of equipment called the Rotapro Rotational Atherectomy System or “Rotablator,” that St. Agnes would soon be receiving.
“I saw that we had the opportunity to potentially fix his problem at St. Agnes because I knew we were getting this device,” Voss said.
Voss gave Solarz the option of going to another hospital, but Solarz chose to wait until the following month to have the procedure performed at St. Agnes.
“Dr. Voss handled me and I love Dr. Voss; he’s really good. Just a good person all the way around, so easy to talk to,” Solarz said.
Having access to advanced equipment such as the Rotablator has taken St. Agnes “to an even higher level of care, which is great for patients,” Voss said. “I feel very proud that I’ve been a part of several new technologies coming to the hospital.”
The coronary atherectomy procedure, Voss explained, is used to clear out severe, hardened calcium or plaque blockages from the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart.
Using the Rotablator, which has a tiny, diamond-encrusted drill tip, doctors can shave away the calcium to clear a path through the artery. Once the path is clear, doctors use a small balloon attached to a catheter to open the artery and place a stent.
“It’s a remarkable technology because it will chip away and get rid of calcium, but it won’t injure normal tissue,” Voss said.
For Solarz’s family, the support they received at St. Agnes was top-tier. Chrissy Mayhew, Solarz’s oldest daughter, said that since St. Agnes is a Catholic hospital, it gave her and her family an extra layer of comfort.
“As a family, it was nice because while he was in surgery, we could go to the chapel. We felt very comforting having it there,” Mayhew said.
She described the cardiology team as “phenomenal,” noting that the doctors, nurses and staff were helpful through the whole process.
“Everybody kept us well up to date on what was happening and what and why and how he would feel afterward,” she said.
Solarz was born and raised on a farm in Minnesota, and served in the U.S. Army in 1957, when he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., and then at Fort Monmouth, N.J.
His Catholic faith has been a constant in his life and has been reflected in his long involvement with the Knights of Columbus. Solarz joined the organization at age 29 as a council member in Minnesota and later became a member of the Poplar Springs council. He served as grand knight from 2012 to 2014 and a fourth degree faithful navigator from 2014 to 2015.
“That was a true delight. I absolutely enjoyed that life. You do a lot of good work. … It’s a wonderful feeling,” Solarz said, reflecting on his time in the organization.
Through the years, Solarz said his faith has continued to be a source of strength, especially during his recent health challenges. He said leaning on his faith helped him through his recovery.
“I really have a deep faith and trust in God, trust in the Holy Spirit, trust in Jesus. I just trusted that whatever happened, the good Lord would take care of me somehow and that I’d be OK,” Solarz said.
Today, Solarz is feeling better and getting back to his normal routines, which include spending time with his grandchildren and getting back onto the golf course.
“I’m just very happy that the procedure is done and I feel the difference in my heart beating,” he said. “That gives me comfort right there, just knowing that.”
Email Jenna Mattern at jmattern@CatholicReview.org
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