Since first experiencing a heart attack more than 25 years ago, Orange County business owner Manu Shah has seen the evolution of cardiovascular healthcare firsthand. Today, he’s investing in further advancement.
Shah and his wife, Rika, have made a “transformational” gift to the Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton to establish the Shah Happiness Center for Cardiovascular Health. It is the largest cash gift the hospital has received, Providence officials said, though the amount is not being released.
With the donation, all of the hospital’s six labs for cardiovascular operations and procedures will be fitted with new equipment. Shah said his life was saved in those rooms and he hopes to return to see them refurbished — just not as a patient.
With input from hospital cardiologists and specialists, Director of Cardiovascular Services Dr. Adam Ford has been planning the upgrades and replacements to crucial medical machinery, including more equipment to provide real-time X-ray imaging during cardiac procedures.
Hospital officials said about 6,000 cardiovascular patients a year would benefit from those improvements, including those undergoing procedures and surgeries, heart failure care and cardiac rehabilitation, but the new technology would also be shared across specialties, especially the highly used imaging equipment for tens of thousands of diagnostic tests annually.
This week, Shah formally presented his donation to more than 50 cardiologists, surgeons and experts. There was excitement in the room and cardiologists were eager to share ideas and strategies, forecasting what the center could look like, the hospital’s chief executive, Laura Ramos, said.
“It really is the beacon of hope and health for our patients and this community,” Ramos said. “Which is inspiring and is going to make an impact on so many lives in the future.”
In his speech, Shah called the moment “so personal” and “so emotional.” During his own health emergency, he said there were times when he didn’t know if he would survive, but St. Jude saved his life.
“They didn’t just treat my heart, they gave me more years with my family, more time to build a business, more moments to cherish with my grandchildren,” Shah said.
Shah immigrated to the United States in his 20s and, with his wife, started a successful stone business, MS International, that would go on to supply the black granite for the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Washington, D.C..
With his first heart attack, his symptoms started quietly. Shah started noticing shortness of breath, he said, and occasional fatigue before it escalated. He said he wishes he didn’t ignore the warning signs.
“I kept thinking, ‘It can’t happen to me.’ But the heart requires maintenance,” Shah said.
Just last year, Shah experienced an episode of a very rapid heart rate, so irregular that it could have caused him to go into cardiac arrest and stop his heart.
His wife, Rika, said she remembers the look on the doctor’s face that said, “Everything was not alright. This one was dangerous.”
Doctors installed a device in his heart to shock him out of dangerous episodes. When Shah recovered, he was reminded of the fragility of his heart.
To spread awareness about heart health, his gift will also fund education programs and early detection of cardiovascular disease, along with cardiac rehabilitation.
After touring one of St. Jude’s community clinics, the Shahs said they decided they also wanted to help low-income families and vulnerable populations get cardiac care.
“This gift is not just a financial donation, it is a commitment to our community, to the people of Fullerton, Orange County, and beyond,” Shah said. “We are investing in the future of heart care so that no family has to go through what ours did without the support we were blessed to receive.”
“This is our gift,” he said. “But more importantly, it is our hope.”
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