Patients with heart failure in ECU Health’s Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) program come from many walks of life. During an annual VADiversary celebration, they had a chance to share common ground as they reflected on how the treatment has given them back their voice, their mobility and their peace of mind.
ECU Health established its LVAD program in 2017. An LVAD is a highly specialized pump placed in patients with end stage heart failure. The battery-powered device has been shown to significantly improve heart function and relieve symptoms of heart failure, reduce hospitalizations and improve mortality rates in patients.
Dr. Matthew Colna, chief of Heart Failure and medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program, said patients can live an average of five to six years longer with an LVAD.
“Patients who receive an LVAD are among the sickest patients we treat,” Dr. Colna said. “The LVAD does not just improve their quality of life and extend their lifespan, it provides hope for those patients and their families. It lets them get back to doing what they love, and this VADiversary is our chance to celebrate their improved health and what we see as their second chance at life.”
The VADiversary celebration included a patient panel, where former patient Eddie Thompson told a gathered crowd how shortness of breath caused by heart failure stole his ability to sing at church.
“After one verse, I would be out of breath,” Thompson said. “I was frustrated.”
Thompson received an LVAD in 2023 and a heart transplant in 2024. Now he can sing without issue, and even showcased that talent for his providers, fellow patients and family from his spot on the panel with a two-minute hymn. He didn’t miss a beat, or skip a breath.
“I’m very happy to be able to do something I love again,” Thompson said.
Different paths, one community
ECU Health’s LVAD program currently supports 47 patients through a multidisciplinary team who are available to their patients 24 hours a day should they need consultation, or should an emergency arise. That leads to strong bonds and, for patients, even better peace of mind in their care.
Patients also regularly gather for monthly fellowship meetings featuring food, games and conversation. The meetings give them a place to know they are not alone in their experiences despite their seemingly unique circumstances.
Theresa Lynn of Greenville was diagnosed with heart failure in 2015. At first, she did not let the diagnosis slow her down and continued driving for rideshares and taking care of her family. In 2019, she took her daughter to give birth at ECU Health Medical Center.
“The whole time, I was in pain,” Lynn said. “My daughter told the nurse I was a heart patient. They took my blood pressure, it was sky high, and they took me to the emergency department.”
Lynn found out she had been having a “massive” heart attack the entire day. A cardiologist told her about LVAD and that she would have to stay inpatient due to her condition. She agreed to the procedure, a decision she said has shaped her life in more ways than one. She is once again on the move, traveling domestically and abroad to see old friends and experience new places.
Norleen Edwards suffered a heart attack in 2021, said that team has helped her significantly with the worry she felt about the device and heart failure in general.
“They always were on my side, even before I got the LVAD,” Edwards said. “I had a lot of anxiety, they helped talk me through it. These guys, oh my God, they’re the best team ever.”
The meetings are also a place to share how patients and their families have an impact on the greater community in eastern North Carolina. Terry Woolard of Washington, an Operation Desert Storm veteran and cancer survivor, was working as a nurse in West Virginia when a cardiac event landed him in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hospital. That’s where he first found out he had heart failure.
Woolard continued various treatments for the condition until 2016, when he was introduced to LVAD through the team at ECU Health. He has had his LVAD the longest of any patient being treated by ECU Health’s multidisciplinary team, and has embraced a role as a teacher along with that of an LVAD patient. In his free time he allows nursing and emergency services students at community colleges to listen to his heart to know what to expect should they need to respond to an incident involving an LVAD patient.
“My heart does not sound the same as yours,” Woolard said. “I want them to know what they are getting into, know that there are different ways they need to treat patients like me. It’s my way of giving back.”
Lynn, and other patients, are sometimes asked to speak with prospective LVAD patients who are concerned about the procedure. She said the opportunity to share firsthand how the device has helped improve her quality of life has become something of a calling.
“I feel like that’s why God brought me back,” Lynn said. “I knew I had a purpose, and now that purpose is to be an advocate for LVAD and heart failure patients. I love what I do.”
Dean Sauls spent over 40 years as an educator in Wayne County. In May of 2024, he went on a Disney trip to Florida with his wife, in-laws and nine children. He felt out of breath, constantly having to cut his day at the park short to go back and rest at the group’s hotel.
At a routine appointment in July of that year, a physician told Sauls he might only live another year without some kind of intervention. Three weeks later, he had an LVAD procedure.
“I started rehab and I was on the walker, just zigzagging and counting my steps,” Sauls said. “When I got home, I’d walk around the yard when the weather wasn’t too hot. Just anything to stay in shape.
“I really understand eastern North Carolina and I appreciate what the medical center does for this community,” he continued. “I look forward to this reunion; it’s a great thing to be a part of.”
Critical care close to home
Timothy Bizzell of Beulaville has been living with his LVAD for five years. In 2021, he fainted at home and regained consciousness face down on the floor as his wife called for an ambulance. He was transported for care at ECU Health Medical Centera cardiovascular physician told him his heart had stopped.
“He asked me, do I want to live or do I want to stay like I was?” Bizzell said. “I want to live. He told me about this program, the LVAD program.”
In Duplin County, Bizzell said his mind is at ease knowing that there are people and treatments that can support his condition close to home. That’s important in rural areas where, according to a 2024 report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services rates of heart disease are higher than urban sectors of the state due in part to limited access to healthy food, transportation and access to care.
According to the most recent Center for Disease Control data on local heart failure mortality from 2010-19, the 29 counties where ECU Health provides care saw an average of 25.5 deaths from heart failure per 100,000 people aged 35-64, higher than the statewide average of 21.1 deaths from heart failure per 100,000 people aged 35-64 in that same period of time.
“It gives me a lot of hope, knowing this type of team and this technology is just down the road,” Bizzell said. “I’m grateful for the team. I know all I have to do is call. It’s not going around the corner, it’s right there.”
Before his LVAD, Bizzell said he visited the hospital twice a month due to complications from heart failure. Ever since getting the device, he said he only goes to the doctor for scheduled appointments.
“It could have been the other way, but I have another chance,” Bizzell said. “I thank God for the LVAD team. They gave me that second chance, they gave me quality of life.”
Dr. Colna agreed that access to a specialized tool like LVAD plays a significant role in improving cardiovascular health outcomes in eastern North Carolina.
“It’s of the utmost importance that ECU Health can provide these patients the therapy they need in their own community,” Dr. Colna said. “Otherwise, they would have to travel long and far for treatment. We can offer it in their own backyard.”
National recognition and promising new treatment options highlight a significant moment for pancreatic cancer care at ECU Health. The health system was recently designated a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer, an achievement that coincides with the arrival of Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a newly FDA-approved targeted therapy for the disease.
The Center of Excellence designation recognizes ECU Health’s comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to pancreatic cancer care and its commitment to providing patients with access to specialized expertise, coordinated treatment and supportive services.
“Being recognized as a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence validates the exceptional work of our multidisciplinary teams and our commitment to providing comprehensive, patient-centered care,” said Phyllis DeAntonio, executive director of the Cancer Service Line at ECU Health. “This designation reflects the expertise of our physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists and support teams who work together every day to deliver the highest quality care. As we continue expanding access to innovative therapies and advanced treatment options, our goal remains ensuring patients throughout eastern North Carolina can receive nationally recognized pancreatic cancer care close to home.”
The National Pancreas Foundation awards Center of Excellence designations following a rigorous evaluation process that assesses an organization’s ability to provide coordinated, high-quality care through specialties including medical oncology, gastroenterology, pancreatic surgery, interventional radiology, pain management and supportive services.
For patients facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, access to this level of coordinated care is particularly important, as it remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat with historically limited treatment options and poor outcomes. This year, the American Cancer Society has documented about 2,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer. Of those, 1,840 patients have died from the disease.
New treatment option offers hope
Dr. Mahvish Muzaffar, associate professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and physician at ECU Health Cancer Center, said a groundbreaking new treatment could offer the beginnings of a solution. Rasonque, a new oral targeted therapy, is designed to inhibit RAS, a protein that drives tumor growth in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers.
The medication was recently approved by the FDA and has given ECU Health physicians a moment to celebrate their ongoing battle against pancreatic cancer.
“As an oncologist who cares for patients with pancreatic cancer, the FDA approval of Rasonque is one of the most exciting moments I have seen in my career,” said Dr. Muzaffar. “It makes me emotional because I immediately think about the many patients and families who have walked this difficult journey with courage, often with far too few effective treatment options.”
In clinical trials, the therapy demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival and reduced the risk of death by 60 percent compared to standard chemotherapy.
“Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers we treat,” Dr. Muzaffar said. “For decades, progress has been slow, which is why this advance is so significant.”
Patients interested in the new treatment are encouraged to speak with their oncology care team to determine whether it may be appropriate for their specific diagnosis and treatment plan.
The arrival of the new therapy strengthens treatment options for patients at ECU Health and, along with the Center of Excellence designation, highlights the organization’s role in advancing cancer research and education.
A local connection
Among the researchers involved in developing evidence supporting the drug was Dr. Aparna Hegde, a 2018 graduate of the ECU Health Medical Center Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program.
“It is especially gratifying to see that one of our own graduates, Dr. Hegde, played a role in bringing this therapy to patients,” Dr. Muzaffar said. “Her contributions reflect the impact that ECU-trained physicians are making nationally in cancer research and drug development.”
While pancreatic cancer remains a complex disease and no single treatment is right for every patient, physicians believe the combination of nationally recognized expertise and access to innovative therapies positions ECU Health to continue improving outcomes for patients throughout the region.
“For the first time in a long time, I genuinely feel we are entering a new chapter in pancreatic cancer care,” Dr. Muzaffar said. “While there is still much work ahead, this approval gives our patients something incredibly important: hope.”
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Medical Center Cardiovascular Pulmonary Rehabilitation (CVPR) has received re-certification through the American Association of Cardiovascular Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), a recognition of ECU Health Medical Center’s commitment to improving quality of life for patients through adherence to high standards of care.
To earn the certification, ECU Health Medical Center CVPR applied through a process that required extensive documentation of program practices which were reviewed by the AACVPR Program Certification Committee. Certification was awarded by the AACVPR Board of Directors.
“Our program meets strict national standards for quality, safety and clinical excellence as proven through our recertification,” said Kim Becton, cardiopulmonary nurse, ECU Health Medical Center.
“Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to providing evidence-based care for patients with chronic respiratory disease, and the AACVPR certification reinforces our commitment to improving patient outcomes, enhancing quality of life and delivering comprehensive, patient-centered pulmonary rehabilitation services. Above all, it illustrates our goal to establish lasting trust within our community between pulmonologists and patients.”
Pulmonary rehabilitation combines medical care and counseling across its multidisciplinary team to improve patients’ breathing, increase endurance and regain independence in their day to day lives. Facets of rehabilitation include individualized exercise prescriptions and training, lifestyle education, and clinical support. Patients who take part in Pulmonary Rehab see a 58% risk reduction of having a future pulmonary episode. Patients also see improved quality of life and can remain active in their local communities.
“This certification reflects the high-quality care our CVPR team delivers each and every day,” said Rob Zerniak, program manager, CVPR, ECU Health Medical Center. “Empowering patients with the education, resources and support they need to take control of their health is a critical part of improving their quality of life. We are proud to provide exceptional care close to home for the communities we serve and honored to have our team’s commitment to excellence nationally recognized by AACVPR.”
Skills that resident physicians learn through Graduate Medical Education (GME) at ECU Health Medical Center and the Brody School of Medicine extend beyond their clinical roles, including the leadership skills that helped shape Dr. Portia West’s career in the U.S. Air Force and at ECU Health. Now, years after her military service, she continues to help GME improve the future of health care in eastern North Carolina.
Dr. West completed her psychiatry residency program at ECU Health in 2020. Having grown up in Charlotte and then spent six years in Washington D.C., she was grateful for the change of pace that came with treating patients in rural settings.
“I met the program director at the time, Dr. Toni Johnson, who made me feel like the program would make the best version of myself and the best physician I could be,” Dr. West said. “It wasn’t long before I grew to love Greenville. The people here are what make it home.”
Dr. West said the support she received from her directors and co-residents motivated her to seek out leadership opportunities. She also received a Healthcare Professionals Scholarship from the Air Force, where she said the skills she learned through GME were just as relevant.
“My co-residents support is what pushed me into leadership roles,” Dr. West said. “I became a chief resident, which I never thought I would do. That experience did wonders for my military career, I already had the leadership skills I needed through GME.
“I’ll always be grateful my peers pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
This year marks 50 years of GME at ECU Health Medical Center. Now, in 2026, leadership remains just as important as it was back in 1976, when a single program in Family Medicine began to train physicians in eastern North Carolina. Across 35 resident physician and fellowship programs, chief residents serve as liaisons between their colleagues in training and their program directors.
Dr. Herb Garrison served as associate dean for GME at ECU Health Medical Center and ECU’s Brody School of Medicine for 11 years from (date) to (date). Like Dr. West, he completed his residency at ECU Health Medical Center. Dr. Garrison had a chance to witness GME evolve to train physicians who go forth and lead in their respective specialties and communities.
“As GME has grown over the years, our programs aim not only to train physicians who have a passion to care for their communities, but to go forth and lead in those communities as well,” said Dr. Garrison. “GME continues to serve as a reliable, consistent pipeline to reinforce our physician workforce, letting doctors see firsthand how their work impacts patients in these unique communities.
Dr. West is now a program director for the psychiatry residency track, which lets her use the skills she learned as a chief resident to educate resident physicians and fellows as GME at ECU Health Medical Center continues to evolve.
“I get to use everything I learned as a chief resident and those memories I have from my time in service,” Dr. West said. “One thing that I see is so many people who trained here, either at the Brody School of Medicine or through GME, come back. Some go on their fellowship and here they are again, almost immediately. I think it speaks so much to how the hospital system not only trains their residents and their faculty members well, but treats them well so they want to stay here.”
That impact gets passed on to patients, too. Dr. West said a chance encounter with a former patient at the grocery store was a nice reminder that a physician’s work echoes with their patient long after treatment or counselling has finished.
“Within my first week back in Greenville from New Mexico, I saw someone looking at me across the aisle. At first, I thought they had me mistaken for someone else,” Dr. West recalled. “They came up to ask if I worked at ECU Health and told me they thought I used to be their doctor. I had been gone for four years at this point, but they told me, I’ll never forget it, ‘You don’t know how much you really helped me.’
“As doctors, we know we make a difference. Still, to be gone for so long and come back to hear that someone remembered you for the good you did, randomly, is amazing, having that kind of impact in our patient’s lives.”
ECU Health Beaufort Hospital leadership presented a $137,177.34 donation to Williamston Fire-Rescue-EMS on Tuesday, Oct. 12 for brand new, state-of-the-art emergency medical equipment.
The donation will support the purchase of an MTS Power-LOAD system, which is a powered stretcher-loading device that enhances provider safety and patient stability, and a LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator, used to assess, monitor and treat patients in critical condition. The donation was attended by ECU Health Beaufort Hospital President Dennis Campbell, II, Williamston Fire-Rescue-EMS Chief Michael Peaks, Williamston Mayor Dean McCall and other community supporters.
“In the EMS world, every second counts,” said McCall. “We thank the ECU Health organization, Chief Peaks and everyone who helped secure this funding for the protection of our community and EMS professionals.”
ECU Health Beaufort Hospital provided the donation directly through operational funds. Campbell said that local first responders are a vital part of the healthcare services communities depend on. Reducing the risks of provider injury, as well as having the cutting-edge technology to assess patients on the scene, are essential to supporting the health needs in rural communities like Martin County, he said.
“In rural communities every link in the emergency care network matters,” Campbell said. “Equipping local EMS teams strengthens access to timely, high-quality care that helps connect patients with the next level of care.”
Funding for the equipment comes amid ECU Health’s ongoing efforts to restore access to essential healthcare in Martin County after Martin General Hospital closed in 2023. In July 2026, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a State Budget that included critical funding to help re-establish essential healthcare in Martin County and initial planning funds to support expanding bed capacity at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital in Washington.
Additional investments necessary to expand bed capacity at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital continue to be key for implementing a sustainable regional system of care model needed to improve sustainability and expand inpatient capacity for surrounding communities, including Martin County.
Peaks said the effects of the local hospital closure immediately impacted emergency personnel, who must now travel farther to transport patients in need of care. He said before the closure a patient’s average transport time by ambulance was five minutes and 38 seconds. The average time now is 20 minutes. He thanked ECU Health leadership for recognizing the critical role first responders play in community healthcare.
“Having equipment such as this available to our members is going to make a difference for the people we serve,” Peaks said. “ECU Health has recognized that healthcare needs in Martin County do not stop at the doors of a hospital. Healthcare is a network of people and services working together.
“ECU Health’s investment in Williamston Fire-Rescue-EMS is a direct investment in strengthening the network of care in which ECU Health has shown time and again, and more recently within the last year, their commitment to Martin County.”
Campbell emphasized that supporting Williamston, Martin County and surrounding communities is central to the health system’s mission.
“Our mission at ECU Health is to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina,” Campbell said. “We’ve been honored to support Williamston and the surrounding communities to help maintain access to care during extremely difficult circumstances following the local hospital’s abrupt closure in 2023. Strong partnerships among hospitals, EMS agencies and other community organizations are essential to providing high-quality healthcare in rural eastern North Carolina. This moment reflects those partnerships and actions.”
Jenny Maness is using her experience as a Neonatal Intensitive Care Unit (NICU) mom, and the example set by the nurses and providers at Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center who cared for her twin sons, to guide and comfort the parents of children in neonatal care from the other side of the isolette.
In 2018, Maness’s water broke at 24 weeks, and she began an inpatient stay at the hospital. Complications led her care team to deliver her identical twin boys, Ryan and Scott, at 25 weeks and three days. The delivery was a success, and both boys began the first four and a half months of their life in the NICU.
For Maness, that frightening start became a life-changing experience.
“I remember feeling so scared and so stressed,” Maness said. “The attending on the night we delivered was Dr. Joseph Ginski, and I remember he made us feel so much more comfortable.
The nurses probably do not even realize how much of an impact they had on me. They were our cheerleaders and kept up with us every step of the way. I still have all of the hand and footprint crafts they made for us.
“They made us feel so comfortable. We were terrified, of course, to touch the boys or do anything really. The nursing staff really encouraged us, they helped us change diapers, give baths and have our skin-to-skin contact. All of the things we wanted to do, but were too scared to try, they helped us find that courage.”
Eventually, Ryan and Scott came home from the hospital. Maness had worked as an X-ray technician for 12 years, but as she had time to breathe and process her experience, she felt called to a different side of healthcare.
“I always say, when you walk through those NICU doors it’s going to change you one way or the other,” Maness said. “For me, it changed me for the better. I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life, so I went back to school.”
Maness started classes at Beaufort County Community College in 2021. In 2023, she graduated with a nursing degree. At first, she was set on working exclusively with NICU families but found that between classes and seeing Ryan and Scott grow into their personalities, she wanted to work with children of all ages. In 2023, she started her nursing career in the Women’s and Children’s Operational Pool at ECU Health, and now divides her time between the NICU, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and General Pediatrics.
“I get to be there for my little tiny babies and I can also play games or blow bubbles with the older kids,” Maness said. “It’s really the best of both worlds for me. Kids are so fun at all ages.”
Today, Ryan and Scott are eight years old. Maness said they are happy, healthy and doing things any kid their age would do, free of any long-term complications.
“They are wild,” she laughed. “Honestly, you would never know they were premature. We are so very fortunate to have the outcome that we did, and I have to credit that to the doctors, the nurse practitioners, the nurses who made all the calls. They did everything just excellent for us, and still do to this day.
“When I started working, a lot of the providers and the nurses told me they remembered my boys,” Maness said. “Things can be a blur here, and that was eight years ago, but they still remember me just from my face. That means so much to me. You can tell they really care and it makes such an impact on every family they come across.”
Maness is proud to offer that kind of compassion to families, and to give parents currently in the shoes she filled eight years ago the perspective of experience — things get better.
“It’s very high anxiety when you have a baby in the NICU, whether they are a micro-preemie or a baby who went to term who might need breathing assistance,” Maness said. “I remember crying and breaking down at the bedside when my boys were here. Letting the parents who need it hear my story, I hope it puts them at ease, lets them know they are allowed to feel comfortable and maybe go home at night and get some sleep.
“It’s the most rewarding thing to tell them, you need a rest. It’s important that parents take care of themselves too, and that they realize, eventually, you will get where you need to be.”
Share your story with us at go.ecuhealth.org/gratitude. Stories like these show the lasting impact of Maynard Children’s Hospital.
As the father of a pediatric patient sat with his head in his hands in the adult emergency department trauma bay, staff chaplain Anthony Westbrook took a seat beside him.
Medical teams were treating the child for serious burns sustained in an accident at home. Westbrook remained with her father, offering a calm presence and listening ear during an overwhelming moment.
“He was devastated by what had happened and by what his child was going through,” Westbrook said. “He poured out his feelings, and I listened, gently placing my hand on his shoulder as he cried.”
Westbrook remained with the family throughout the child’s treatment. At the father’s request, he led a prayer with members of the care team gathered around the child’s bedside. Thirty minutes later, he accompanied the father and patient as they were transferred to a room in the children’s emergency department.
For Westbrook and his colleagues on ECU Health’s Clinical Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care team, these moments represent the heart of their work.
Formerly known as Pastoral Care, the department adopted a new name to better reflect its role as part of the clinical care team.
“Our chaplains provide professional spiritual and emotional care to patients, families and team members, regardless of their faith background or beliefs,” said Ashleigh Ware, manager of Pastoral Programs. “The new name helps communicate that we are an integral part of whole-person care.”
The department includes 12 team members, made up of full-time and part-time chaplains as well as chaplain residents. Together, they provide support throughout the ECU Health Medical Center, helping people navigate illness, grief, difficult decisions, celebrations, healing and hope.
“Our work is about meeting people where they are and walking alongside them,” Ware added.
“Ultimately, we want every patient, family member and team member to know they don’t have to carry it alone.”
While many people associate chaplaincy with a particular faith tradition, the department’s approach is inclusive.
“Clinical chaplains respect the spiritual diversity of the patients, families and team members we serve,” Westbrook said. “Whether they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Humanist, Agnostic or Atheist, our role is to be present, to listen and to support.”
Sometimes support includes prayer or spiritual rituals.
During another family’s time of need, Westbrook helped fulfill a final wish for the parents of a gravely ill infant in the NICU. Surrounded by loved ones and members of the care team, the family gathered bedside for a baptism ceremony. Afterward, Westbrook presented the parents and the infant’s siblings with the seashell used to hold the baptism water.
“Our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being are often deeply connected,” Westbrook said.
“Chaplaincy creates space for the spiritual, emotional and existential questions that can arise alongside a person’s medical experience.”
That support also extends to team members.
The department offers opportunities such as Tea for the Soul, Blessing of the Hands and Purposeful Pause Pop-Up events that allow team members to step away, reflect and reconnect with the purpose behind their work. Team members can also reach out directly to a chaplain following a difficult patient experience, a personal loss, a stressful event or anytime they need to talk.
“We want people to know they don’t have to wait until something becomes a crisis to reach out,” Ware said. “If you think a chaplain might be helpful, that’s enough reason to call.”
Within ECU Health’s community hospitals, Spiritual Care volunteers provide supportive rounding for patients. When a situation requires the attention of a clinical chaplain, the team is available to provide support through telehealth.
Patients, families and team members at ECU Health Medical Center can connect with a unit chaplain or contact Clinical Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care at 252-847-4790 or [email protected].
Dr. Lorrie Basnight grew up in Chapel Hill, and after seven years working as an exercise physiologist, she went back to school to become a doctor. She found a passion for pediatrics unexpectedly, and since 1995, she’s loved working with children and their families.
“Children can be delightful and challenging,” she said. “I thought I was a compassionate physician; I was happy to talk with families and let them feel their feelings. But after my diagnosis, I realized what the other side feels like.”
In 2025, Dr. Basnight was diagnosed with breast cancer, a total shock because she considered herself to be in good health.
“I was going to the gym and doing all the things you should do. I have no genetic background or family history of breast cancer. The year before my diagnosis, I did a 100-mile hike in Spain, and in the spring of 2025, I did a 200-mile bike ride in Belgium and the Netherlands,” she said. “Two weeks after I got back from that trip, I got my diagnosis.”
Immediately following her diagnosis, Dr. Basnight said she struggled with fear and anxiety.
“Not 15 minutes after I left the doctor’s office I started thinking I needed to make my funeral plans,” she said. “That’s where my head went. Getting that under control has been a process.”
A path forward
The first step was creating a plan, which Dr. Basnight said was accomplished with her doctor, Dr. Mahvish Muzaffar.
“I had an intense regimen of 16 doses of chemo, followed by surgery,” Dr. Basnight said. “Dr. Muzaffar and the team did a great job of controlling my side effects, and before surgery, my MRI showed no signs of cancer.”
That didn’t mean she was out of the woods quite yet; her post-surgical pathology report showed residual cancer cells. She required additional treatment, which she is still receiving, including 20 rounds of radiation and targeted drugs and hormone blockers. Through it all, however, Dr. Basnight said her doctor and the cancer center team took care of her and put her mind at ease.
During her treatments, she contracted COVID twice and suffered a heart arrythmia as a side effect from one of her medications, which required her to be admitted to the hospital, but Dr. Basnight said she felt supported the entire time.
“It’s weird to have this serious illness and say I’ve had such a great experience,” she said. “When I first met Dr. Muzaffar, she talked with me and my daughter and then asked to speak with me alone. Then she gave me a big hug and said, ‘I know this is scary, but you’re going to be okay.’”
Over the last year, Dr. Basnight said Dr. Muzaffar has reminded her that her medications are working very well and if she did have a recurrence, there are new cancer drugs and treatments coming out all the time.
“She told me that people like me with stage three cancer have lived many years, so she pulled me get out of that ditch of thinking this is the end of my life,” she said. “It’s just the start of a different part of my life.”
Dr. Basnight said it’s also been helpful to use all the resources available to her through the cancer center, including speaking with a therapist to get her anxiety under control.
“When I was first diagnosed, I’d wake up in the middle of the night panicking. My therapist, Dr. Rachelle Evans, has given me many exercises to help with my anxiety, like thought interrupting exercises,” she said. “When I start worrying about something, I say or think, ‘Not helpful,’ and that stops the spiral. I really feel like I’ve become a new person who’s moved into a state of acceptance.”
More than a patient
From her doctor and her therapist to pharmacists and front desk staff to her nurse navigator, Dr. Basnight said the Cancer Center provides an exceptional level of care.
“They talk to you and treat you like you’re more than an MRN number,” she said. “They talk to my family and include them in the conversation. They get you through check-in quickly, they know you and ask about your life and sort out appointments easily. I had a friend who received cancer care from another facility and she came to a few appointments with me at ECU Health. She told me later, ‘I’m sure I got excellent medical care where I went, but my oncologist never acknowledged how scary this is for me.’ My friend ended up switching to ECU Health to get her radiation and she had a great experience.”
For now, Dr. Basnight is continuing her cancer treatment and making plans for future biking and travel. She’s back in the gym and says anyone with cancer should figure out how to still do the things they love.
“One of the things Dr. Evans helped me do was define what’s important to me: relationships,” she said. “Last year, my four siblings and I rented a house in Manteo and had the best time. It was the first time in a long time we’d all been together for a whole week, and it’s special to be with the ones you love. Next spring, we plan a boat and biking trip, and I’m looking forward to that.”
On a hot July morning, Mark Brady woke up and went about his day as usual. He didn’t expect he’d be spending the next two months in the hospital.
“I walked around the block, took a shower, drank a large iced coffee and was preparing to golf with my friends when my body started to shake,” Brady said.
When he didn’t show up, Brady’s golfing buddies stopped by his house and found him on the floor in his bathroom; one of those friends had taken a first aid class and recognized Mark was having a stroke.
“He saw my drooped face and called 911 immediately. From there I went to ECU Health Duplin Hospital, they put me on a helicopter, and I ended up in Greenville,” Brady said. “I don’t remember much until a week later.”
A team effort
After Brady transitioned from the ICU to a step-down unit, he entered inpatient rehabilitation where he met a team of trained therapists who collaborated on his care.
“When Mark arrived here, he was completely flaccid in his left arm and leg – which means he had no movement,” said Mary Kathryn Hubbard, occupational therapist. “During his stay here, he’s put in such tremendous effort and he’s dedicated to his success. Now he can actively open and close his left hand and use his arm functionally.”
“Early in his stay, we had frank conversations with Mark about his progress,” Melissa DeCarlo, physical therapist, added. “We wanted him to go home safely, but he had a long road ahead of him. Due to his hard work, his family support and his therapy interventions, he started getting better and our conversation changed. I’ve updated his care plan four times because he’s made steady progress the whole time. Now he can walk with a walker and get around with supervision.”
Kelsey Hall, a speech language pathologist, noted that Brady’s cognitive status has also improved.
“His scores initially showed a moderate disorder, but now he’s doing activities of daily living like finances and medications without cues,” she said. “His recovery isn’t necessarily typical, but it shows his dedication to getting better.”
Brady attributes much of his success to the rehabilitation team’s collaborative and supportive spirit.
“Every therapist has done a great job. They pushed me to the point of success, and they are the best in North Carolina,” Brady said. “They all work together and they cheer you on when you accomplish things. It’s a close-knit group.”
“As a team, we look at a patient as the whole person. We wanted Mark to get out and stay active. We co-treat with each other and helped Mark do what was meaningful to him, and that plan evolved over time as he improved,” said Alex Kinney, recreational therapist.
One of those collaborations included an outing to the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. There, he practiced skills he developed during his rehabilitation stay. For Brady, the experience was about more than physical recovery. It was about rediscovering his independence and confidence.
“It was great to be back in the real world,” he said.
These community experiences help patients apply physical, cognitive and problem-solving skills outside the hospital setting for improved functioning at discharge. By combining evidence-based practices, advanced clinical expertise and individualized treatment plans, the rehabilitation center helps patients of all ages achieve their highest level of function and quality of life.
“We can guide the patient,” Kinney said, “But they’re the ones who have to do the work.”
The next step
Brady completed his inpatient therapy and went home with his girlfriend, Lynne, on Sept. 17. He will continue his therapy at ECU Health Duplin Hospital’s Outpatient Rehabilitation clinic, and he has big plans for the future.
“When I was first admitted, they said I might not be able to walk again,” Brady said. “But I told them my goal was to walk independently by Christmas and play golf next year.”
According to Brady, it was the personal attention and genuine care provided by the therapy team that made a lasting impact.
“The therapists make you feel like you are the most important patient on the floor, even though they have many other patients that day,” he said.
The Inpatient Rehabilitation Center at ECU Health Medical Center offers expert care and personalized therapy from a multidisciplinary team that includes physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, recreational therapists, case managers and other specialists.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health has expanded access to advanced heart care through the AltaValve™ system, a minimally-invasive, catheter-deployed tool to treat higher-risk heart patients who previously had few treatment options.
Dr. Brian Cabarrus, ECU Health interventional cardiologist, and Dr. Wiley Nifong, ECU Health cardiovascular surgeon, successfully implanted ECU Health’s first Supra-annular Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement — the AltaValve system — on July 30, 2026.
The procedure was made possible through ECU Health’s participation in A Transseptal Left Atrial System for Treatment of Mitral Regurgitation (ATLAS) trial. ECU Health Medical Center was the second hospital in the state to treat a patient using the AltaValve system.
AltaValve is a transcatheter mitral valve replacement developed by 4C Medical Technologies Inc. designed for patients with mitral valve disease who may not be able to receive traditional surgical valve replacement due to factors like advanced age. It is also designed to treat inoperable patients who previously underwent valve repair procedures.
The mitral valve is one of four valves in the heart that allows blood to flow normally through the left ventricle and into the rest of the body. When the mitral valve is unable to fully open, or if it leaks, it may need to be replaced.
“ECU Health is opening new doors for patients with mitral valve conditions who are not candidates for traditional surgery, which is especially important here in eastern North Carolina where patients are disproportionately affected by heart disease compared to the rest of the nation,” said Dr. Cabarrus. “Our first patient was discharged within 48 hours, the kind of outcome every physician hopes to see.”
Unlike traditional open-heart surgery, the AltaValve device is inserted through a vein in the leg with a catheter. The valve is deployed into the heart and naturally aligns with the patient’s mitral valve to treat symptoms.
“Expanding access to innovative treatment options reflects ECU Health’s commitment to advancing cardiovascular care and improving health outcomes across the region,” said Jay Briley, president, ECU Health Medical Center. “By pairing leading-edge technology with the expertise of our clinicians, we are delivering high-quality care close to home and creating a healthier future for the communities we serve.”