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Two Portage County brothers who underwent heart surgery at the same time experienced different outcomes after one received early treatment and the other waited.

Ricky Stackpole of Rootstown and his brother Clifford “Kip” Stackpole of Ravenna underwent heart surgery in the summer of 2023. But while Ricky Stackpole thought he had indigestion and sought treatment relatively quickly, his brother had to wait days for it.

Both men are doing well now, but Kip has had a long road to recovery.

Both are now spreading the word about heart disease and encouraging friends and family to get tested.

“They need to know how serious this is,” Kip Stackpole said.

like father, like son

The brothers say their father suffered a heart attack when he was 58 years old. His father, a truck driver like Ricky Stackpole, was in Florida when the symptoms started. His brothers said his father was very stubborn and refused to receive medical treatment until he arrived home.

“He said he wasn’t going to do it on foreign soil,” Ricky said.

My father survived bypass surgery and lived into his 70s.

Ricky Stackpole was in New York on a Thursday in July when he started feeling what he thought was indigestion. Although he thought about his father, he still decided to return home before undergoing treatment. When he got home and still didn’t feel well, his wife Ruth told him to go to the hospital. He went to Portage University Medical Center in Ravenna and from there was transferred to University Hospitals’ main campus in Cleveland, where he underwent surgery.

Ricky Stackpole remembers talking to his brother and noticing that Kip Stackpole sounded like he wasn’t doing well. Kip Stackpole told him he had heartburn, and his brother encouraged him to get tested.

But Kip Stackpole didn’t go to the hospital until the following Monday. By that time he had already suffered a heart attack, which he later suffered in the hospital.

Both players had good results, but Kip Stackpole’s road to recovery was long. He underwent two surgeries. He underwent bypass surgery, first to repair a hole found in his heart. Ricky Stackpole was hospitalized for two weeks, while his brother was hospitalized for three months.

lucky to be alive

The men’s cardiologist, Dr. Anjan Gupta, said both men were lucky. Many patients who do not receive treatment when heart symptoms begin do not survive.

“There was a big difference in the results,” he said. The difference, he said, was that Ricky Stackpole immediately sought help before the heart attack took its toll.

“If you have chest pain, it’s best to come to the hospital and get tested,” says Dr. Gupta. “Please don’t sit at home for three or four days and seek help. We need to raise awareness in the community.”

In addition to chest pain, symptoms may also include jaw or arm pain and indigestion. Gupta said women are more likely to experience atypical symptoms, such as nausea and fatigue.

If you have any questions, it’s always best to get tested, Gupta said.

hospital story

The brothers said they thought it would be difficult for hospital staff to treat both brothers at the same time. They were two rooms apart and the nurses checked on each other.

“They call us the Zipper Club,” Kip Stackpole said.

Kip, who was on a ventilator for part of his hospital stay, doesn’t remember much about his early days, except that his fiancée, Catherine Diederich, was always by his side. He also remembers being disappointed that his brother left more than two months before he did.

Kip Stackpole said when his brother found out his indigestion was a heart problem, he thought it might be his problem. But Kip Stackpole said he decided that couldn’t happen because he was young. He also noted that he had no symptoms of “heartburn” before the match.

“I was a little confused,” he said. “I never would have thought that in a million years.”

Kip Stackpole is now back to work as an auto mechanic.

Ricky Stackpole said the poor diet that comes with his life as a truck driver is at least partly to blame for his heart disease. He also added that he didn’t realize how bad he felt until he recovered from his surgery. Now, he said, he feels better than he has in a long time.

The brothers speak highly of the University Hospital’s cardiology department, and since doctors have told them that heart blockages are at least partially genetic, they are encouraging other members of the family to get tested as well. I’m trying to convince you.

“This was a real eye-opener for a lot of my family,” Ricky Stackpole said.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

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