68-Year-Old Back Playing Golf and Tennis After Suffering a Heart Attack

Gerry Henry says he felt no symptoms before he collapsed in the middle of a match.

A native of Ireland, Gerry Henry has lived in Australia for nearly 40 years, where he runs his own plumbing business. He’s also an avid golfer and competitive tennis player.

In 2019, while in the middle of a match, Gerry suddenly collapsed on the court, going into cardiac arrest.

Gerry was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital, where Dr. David Roy cleared the blockage in one of his main arteries. But Gerry’s left ventricle was not recovering. Dr. Roy then decided to implant Impella CP^® with SmartAssist^®, hoping to give Gerry’s heart a chance to rest. Over the next several days Gerry’s heart function improved and Impella was weaned and removed.

Today, Gerry’s heart function is back to normal and he is back living an active life, running his business, playing sports and enjoying time with his friends.