Retired detention officer Cheryl Bisset has survived two heart attacks and congestive heart failure, thanks to the cardiology team at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center.
“Not many people can say they’ve had their lives saved three times by the same hospital,” Cheryl says. “They are my healthcare heroes.”
Four stents and bypass surgery repaired the ailing heart of this 63-year-old, who’s back to enjoying the great outdoors and feeding the wildlife near her home on the range in Johnson County.
“I have never witnessed that amount of professionalism and teamwork,” she says. “They are the best group of medical employees I’ve witnessed firsthand.”
TWO HEART ATTACKS
Cheryl built a public service career, including several years at the Tarrant County Jail, before retiring to Arizona, where she checked off a bucket list item: seeing the Grand Canyon.
When she returned to Texas to care for her mother, she restarted her career, this time at the Mansfield jail.
“Over the next four years, I lost both my parents and two of my siblings,” Cheryl says. “It was a very stressful time for me.”
Two months after her brother passed in April 2018, Cheryl thought she was coming down with the flu. When the dizziness and pressure in her chest worsened, she called 911.
It turns out she was suffering from a “widow maker” heart attack, caused by a complete blockage of the main vessel that supplies blood to the heart. She survived thanks to fast-acting care from the cardiac team at Methodist Mansfield.
Five months later, she had a second heart attack that led to open-heart bypass surgery at Methodist Mansfield.
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CHRONIC HEART FAILURE
After her second heart attack, Cheryl retired from her position at the jail because the physical demands of the job were too much.
“For the next five years, I felt fine,” Cheryl recalls. “I thought all my health scares were behind me.”
But in March 2024, Cheryl experienced shortness of breath and intense sweating while helping a friend with yard work. She was concerned.
Tests revealed she had late-stage, congestive heart failure, a chronic condition where the heart is too weak to efficiently pump blood to the body.
“I was put on medications and more frequent monitoring of my heart,” she says. “For almost two years, I had no issues.”
ANOTHER HEART SCARE
In 2026, Cheryl began experiencing extreme chest pressure and shortness of breath during a routine visit with her longtime primary doctor, Khuong Phan, DO, internal medicine physician on staff at Methodist Mansfield.
An EKG showed she was having an ischemic cardiac event, which occurs when narrowed or blocked arteries reduce blood flow to the heart. She was taken by ambulance to Methodist Mansfield and admitted.
The next day, Cheryl met Sajjad Haider, MD, interventional cardiologist on the medical staff at Methodist Mansfield. Dr. Haider told Cheryl that she had multiple blockages that needed to be treated urgently.
“Cheryl’s cardiac condition was very fragile, with her history of bypass surgery. She was a high-risk case for heart catheterization and angioplasty,” he explains. “Despite the risk, we had to proceed with opening the blocked arteries.”
Using the latest cath lab technology, Dr. Haider and his specially trained team were able to direct balloons into the blockages, open the arteries, and place a fourth stent.
“The cath lab at Mansfield is excellent and offers all the technology and devices high-risk patients like Cheryl could need during the procedure,” Dr. Haider says. “She was very impressed with the seamless workflow of my team while we worked on her in the cath lab.”
LIVING WITHOUT FEAR
Just weeks after completing her cardiac rehabilitation program, Cheryl is living life on her terms despite a fragile heart. That includes attending a horror movie festival in the spring, where she “had a blast.”
“I feel like the best way to show gratitude for the lifesaving care I received from my healthcare heroes is to live life as best I can,” Cheryl says.
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