Dallas musician Addison Kelley thought he was in excellent health until a sudden cardiac emergency nearly took his life.
Doctors turned to the Impella heart pump, which supported his circulation and gave his heart a chance to rest and recover. Addison told that story on CBS Texas this week, then picked up his guitar and played the Police classic ‘Every Breath You Take’ live on air.
Next, he travels to Danvers, Massachusetts, home of Abiomed, the maker of Impella, for the annual Patient Summit on July 23. The Summit brings heart recovery patients together with the engineers who build the pumps and other survivors who understand what the experience feels like from the inside. Addison plans to perform classic rock hits for the celebration.
For most patients, the people behind the technology stay anonymous. The Patient Summit changes that, and Addison gets to say thank you the way he knows best, with a guitar in his hands.
