Month: August 2026

A two-time Gonzales Middle School teacher of the year and coach is sharing his story about how early detection of heart issues and a small medical device helped him recover and get back to living an active life.

Reuben Ruiz, known as “Coach Boo” to his players, spent nearly 40 years coaching several sports and teaching P.E. at Gonzales Middle School. At 73 years old, he’s in good shape now, but a few years ago he was 50 pounds heavier and noticed he was getting fatigued climbing stairs.

“Where I substitute at, they had this big, massive set of stairs when you walk in the door and you go up,” Ruiz said. “And I was getting to where I had reached a point where I’m getting to the top of those stairs and I’m starting to breathe a little heavy… a little perspiration and stuff.”

Ruiz never had a stroke or heart attack, just high blood pressure, but his family had a history of heart issues. His daughter, who works in cardiology, pushed him to establish care with a cardiologist.

“I would answer the phone and friends and family would say, boo, why you breathing heavy?” Ruiz said. “And I would make up something. Oh, well, I just came in from out of the yard working and stuff. But the signs were all there. But I was in total denial.”

Dr. Niksad Abraham found heavy calcification in Ruiz’s arteries. Ruiz then underwent surgery to have stents inserted, with the surgical team assisted by a device called the Impella temporary heart pump at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital St. Elizabeth in Gonzales.

Dr. Roberta Bogaev-Chapman worked as a practicing cardiologist for 20 years before joining Johnson & Johnson as the Vice President of Global Heart Failure. Johnson & Johnson is the parent company of Abiomed, which makes the Impella pump.

A Chattanooga dad recently got to meet the engineers responsible for building the heart pump that saved his life.

Charles Alexander, 49, was working out with his trainer when his heart suddenly stopped. A doctor who happened to be at the gym, a team of paramedics and an emergency crew all fought to keep him alive as his heart kept failing.

A heart pump from Impella gave his heart a chance to rest and recover. After six weeks in the hospital, he was able to go home with a recovered heart. Today, Charles has resumed his active lifestyle with his wife, Candee, a former critical care nurse, and their two children. The family is looking forward to a trip to Europe this fall.

New owners plan to improve the South Bay shopping center with enhanced entrances and customer areas, as well as expand the mall’s dining options

Westfield Plaza Bonita, which sits on 78 acres of land at the southern boundary of National City, has new owners that are looking to elevate the 45-year-old mall as an even more popular destination for the community.

A joint venture between Charleston, S.C.-based private equity real estate firm Henderson Park and Los Angeles-based developer Lowe purchased the 1 million square-foot, indoor mall at 3030 Plaza Bonita Road, the companies announced in a press release.

The partners, which have already removed Westfield branding, plan to improve Plaza Bonita with enhanced entrances and customer areas, as well as expand the mall’s dining options with an emphasis on specialty and local eateries.

“There always is a desire to have better, people-oriented places, so that’s better restaurants and cafes,” said Joel Mayer, a Lowe executive who leads the company’s national retail efforts. “We want this to be more of a community place. More people can spend more time there, and get more things done. And if there are better choices to eat, then that should increase not only the dwell time for the customers that are there, but (make Plaza Bonita) a more family-oriented place.”

Henderson Park and Lowe will also consider adding residential units to the site, but there are no concrete plans to introduce housing, Mayer said.

Sellers, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, sold the property for $201.5 million to the joint venture, HP Bonita Investments LLC, property records show. Westfield said in a regulatory filing that the sales price was greater than the value it had assigned to the property internally.

Plaza Bonita, a National City landmark for 45 years, has a new owner after selling for more than $200 million.

The more than 1-million-square-foot shopping mall was sold by Westfield to developers Lowe and Henderson Park. While shoppers won’t notice many immediate changes beyond the removal of Westfield signs, the new owners say they are planning upgrades that they say will build on the mall’s strong performance.

National City Mayor Ron Morrison said Plaza Bonita is about 95% leased, with anchor stores including JCPenney and Macy’s ranking among the top performers in the region.

“They’re not going to have to do a lot of major stuff to Plaza Bonita; it’s already doing well,” Morrison said.

Lowe said one of its first priorities is expanding dining options, particularly with more outdoor restaurants, along with larger plazas and gathering spaces. The company is also considering cosmetic improvements and the possibility of adding housing in the future, though there are no concrete plans.

“We intend to add local restaurants, specialty food cafes and entertainment uses along with new retailers that offer a variety of experiences for all ages,” said John Mayer, Lowe executive vice president, in a statement.

The developer said it is still in the design and development phase and plans to work with city officials and the community before deciding exactly what changes will be made.