"My name is John and I’m 51 years old. I live in West Boca Raton, Florida. I’m married and have three children. I had the same condition that John Ritter passed away from, an aortic transection.

My aorta tore all the way from my heart to my iliac, up into my carotid artery and who knows where else," said John Holcombe, Heart Surgery Survivor at Delray Medical Center.

"Many patients that would typically be sent to a university hospital for certain procedures can now stay right here in Palm Beach County. I am so pleased John was brought to Delray Medical Center," says Richard Cartledge, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Delray Medical Center.

"When my husband got sick, it was horrific. It was the worst thing that you could imagine; your husband, the father of your children is going to die without this surgery and not many surgeons can do it.

The fact that Dr. Cartledge was there was a miracle in itself. His energy, his enthusiasm, his confidence was infectious. He never left our sides. We’re just so grateful," said John’s wife Lynette.

"John didn’t have a lot of time to think about having the surgery; he just knew that if he didn’t have it, he wouldn’t live more than a day. It was a quick decision on him and his family’s part. I called my team in; everyone rushed in, we prepared for the surgery, and John actually went home in four days. The following week he was asking me when he could go back on the soccer field," recalls Dr. Cartledge.

"We were in the best place. Dr. Cartledge happened to be available, which was lucky for me, and I’m here today to smile about it. We were in the best place, Delray Medical Center," said John.