Dad’s legacy as Sharp doctor comforts son during stay

While growing up, John Maggio remembers hearing great things about Sharp Memorial Hospital. His father, a doctor, was thrilled when the hospital was being built and began practicing there when it opened in 1955. The hospital had the latest equipment and resources, allowing his dad to provide better patient care and work alongside other skilled professionals, deeply enhancing his enthusiasm for his work.

John fondly recalls his childhood visits to the hospital, where the father-son duo would walk the halls. He especially enjoyed strolling down the hallway adorned with historical photos as his father shared stories about the hospital's early days and evolution.

John, now 82, was a teen when he met his wife, Susan. Their love story began at Sunset Cliffs when John noticed Susan in a car with friends and recognized the driver, leading to a chance meeting.

Although John and Susan both attended Point Loma High School, they were not yet acquainted. John asked Susan out, and after some initial hesitation, she agreed to a date at the Del Mar Fair, where John realized she was "the one." They married in 1966.

Shortly after their wedding, John joined the U.S. Army as a drill sergeant, and their son was born later. The young family lived a nomadic lifestyle, moving 17 times in four years. With the birth of their daughter, they decided to settle back in San Diego. John pursued further education, became a CPA and retired in 2014.

50 and fit

After turning 50, John regularly saw his primary care physician, a routine he’d followed at his father's insistence. Over the years, he was consistently told he was healthy and in great shape, which made sense because John was always very active.

He played racquetball and soccer and enjoyed water sports, like surfing and swimming. However, when John visited his primary care doctor for his annual physical in November 2023, they discovered a heart murmur.

John says he wasn't worried at the time because he felt fine. Despite being diagnosed with diabetes ten years earlier, John hadn't experienced other health issues and didn’t expect the murmur diagnosis to be problematic.

A different Sharp experience

However, in 2024, John was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, a narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. His cardiologist referred him to Dr. Raghava Gollapudi, an interventional cardiologist with Sharp Community Medical Group and affiliated with Sharp Memorial, for an angiogram. It was then that he experienced the hospital’s extraordinary care firsthand — and for the first time as an adult.

“An angiogram is a medical imaging technique used to visualize blood vessels and organs to identify blockages or abnormalities,” says Dr. Gollapudi. “The procedure involves injecting a contrast dye into the bloodstream and using X-ray or other imaging techniques to capture images for accurate diagnosis and aiding in treatment planning.”

During John's angiogram, blockages were discovered in his arteries, requiring an angioplasty. In this procedure, a catheter with a balloon is inserted into the blocked artery to widen it and improve blood flow. A small mesh tube called a stent is then placed in the artery to keep it open after removing the balloon.

“It's like connecting my childhood memories with being a patient,” says John. “I wasn’t worried because of my father's stories about the great care here.”

A second visit to Sharp — and second chance at life

After returning home, John initially felt better. However, his improvement was short-lived, as he began to experience shortness of breath, which severely affected his quality of life.

John was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a condition where the heart’s aortic valve narrows, reducing blood flow from the heart to the body and causing shortness of breath. While an angioplasty can open narrowed coronary arteries, it does not fix a narrowed aortic valve, which can occur due to age-related calcification.

To treat this condition, Dr. Gollapudi recommended that John have a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure to replace a faulty valve with a new one. John had the procedure in December of last year.

He now says he is slowly improving and looking forward to a renewed outlook on life. Dr. Gollapudi says that John’s long-term prognosis is excellent.

“I’m not afraid of dying, but of not truly living life to the fullest,” says John. “I still hope that the most exciting experiences of my life are yet to come.”

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