Leroy

LeRoy’s story is a testament to second chances. A failing heart and breathless days once limited his life, and he’s now planning golf games, weekly cribbage with family, and building a new home, thanks to advanced heart-failure care and a new technology available through research. 

LeRoy’s “heart journey” began abruptly in January 2020, when he woke up after Christmas break, unable to catch his breath, and landed in the hospital. A week of intensive treatment with diuretics helped him lose more than 30 pounds of fluid from his body and revealed the real problem – congestive heart failure. 

Medications and lifestyle changes stabilized his symptoms for a while, but the generalized fatigue was so intense that he had a shrinking sense of what a “normal” day could be. Even finishing a simple round of golf became difficult. LeRoy, once an athletic, active volleyball player who walked 18-hole courses weekly, watched his stamina disappear while quietly trying to manage symptoms on his own.

After a move back home to Minnesota, LeRoy’s heart failure worsened. He cycled in and out of the hospital three times in one summer. 

He started to lose hope when several cardiologists repeated the same message, “Your heart is failing.”. That changed when he met Dr. Peter Eckman at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute. Dr. Eckman offered hope through an advanced technology available through a research trial at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. 

Choosing an Option through Research

Dr. Eckman walked LeRoy through exactly what was going wrong, what heart failure is, what the numbers meant, and why a technology that can help the heart pump called a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) could help. His care team explained how this technology could offload the failing left side of his heart by relieving pressure so the right could keep up. Understanding the situation mattered deeply to LeRoy and empowered him to say yes to being part of a research study for an advanced LVAD technology. 

LeRoy agreed to receive a newer LVAD system through the BrioVAD research trial, drawn to its smaller hardware, single-battery design, and technology that was a decade more advanced. With his background in IT and medical manufacturing, choosing the newer device felt like a “No brainer,” and he describes the trade-off with humor: “In reality, I just became part cyborg—but it’s a solution.” 

Today, LeRoy has settled into life with his LVAD, turning what could feel like a burden into manageable routines and even small wins. He has fine-tuned the practical details: spare batteries tucked in his car and truck, a timing routine for the nine-hour battery alarm, and a habit of rotating batteries so they last longer—even in the Minnesota cold. LeRoy discovered hunting shirts that discreetly hold his controller and battery and figured out that sleeping in shorts with pockets protects the cords at night. He shares these tips with his care team and fellow patients. 

Most importantly, LeRoy’s life has expanded again. He is building a new home, looking forward to fishing, hunting, and sharing 60 acres of family property. Weekly drives with his dad to check on the new build, cribbage games, and the promise of returning to golf next spring all reflect what this means for LeRoy. His advice to others on a similar path is simple but hard-earned. 

“Learn to ask for help, let people support you, and be open to new technologies and research that might give you more life than you imagined,” said LeRoy.