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Joe Knauer
Joe Knauer, an active member of the Verde Valley community, had always been pretty healthy until one day, walking with his wife, Joe’s legs began to hurt so badly he had to stop and rest several times. It wasn’t the type of thing Joe was used to experiencing.
Soon after the incident, Joe mentioned this to a group of local friends, including his friend John, who is known nationally as Dr. John Schor, a recognized authority in interventional cardiology. Dr. Schor knew that unexplained leg pain can sometimes be an indicator of heart problems, so he urged Joe to stop by his office to see if there could be a serious reason for his leg pain.
Joe did, and after a variety of tests, Dr. Schor referred him to an expert in interventional cardiology, Dr. Samuel Butman, who performed a cardiac catheterization. Through the procedure, they discovered three blocked arteries and a bad aortic valve, all of which were in need of immediate surgical attention. While Joe’s first thought was an extended trip to a Phoenix hospital, his friend Dr. Schor recommended another expert, one who had performed nearly 4,000 cardiovascular surgeries, Dr. Steven Peterson, in Flagstaff.
Soon enough Joe was in Flagstaff, where a very successful open-heart surgery was performed. “I never had such exemplary treatment,” says Joe. “From the doctors to the nurses to the people who clean the room, everyone there, you could tell they cared.”
Today, Joe is back home, still happy to be living in Verde Valley, still happy to spend time talking with his friends, and thrilled to have world-class heart and vascular experts living right here in Northern Arizona.
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