‘One of the scariest things you can ever hear’

Home / ‘One of the scariest things you can ever hear’

Rochelle Rivas turned her family’s personal experience with cardiac issues into the ultimate act of generosity for patients at Novant Health.

Rochelle Rivas is the mother of twin daughters, one of whom was born with a hole in her heart.

“As a parent, that is one of the scariest things you can ever hear,” said Rivas, a prominent executive and philanthropist in Charlotte.

The treatment journey brought the Rivas family through their share of hospital visits, including one Rivas remembers when her daughters were 2 years old. It was the first night they’d spent apart, and she still recalls one daughter, confused at the sudden disappearance of her sister, asking over and over again, “Where’s Sissy?”

The doctors assured Rivas her daughter would be normal and fine, and in fact, she’s done better than that.

“She’s more than normal. She’s more than fine. She’s a Division 1 athlete, along with her sister,” Rivas said.

Still, the experience of diagnosis and treatment left its mark on the Rivas family. Now, through the Rivas Fund for Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab, they’re making sure others in our community can do the same.

The fund provides grants for those with heart and lung issues who are in need of rehabilitation services to bring them back to health. The idea came to Rivas in 2020, when she set out to do 50 “good things” to celebrate her 50th birthday. Some of those things were small — simple ways to give back. Some were big. And just as she found herself in need of a 50th and final act of good, she visited Novant Health Claudia W. and John M. Belk Heart and Vascular Institute.

As she surveyed the resources in the new facility, which opened in fall of 2020, she found the inspiration for what would be her 50th act of kindness and generosity.

“It has become a fun way to memorialize 50 years on Earth, as well as an ability to give back in a way that means something to our entire family,” Rivas said.

The impact of that gift is already taking shape, said Jan Wagoner, director and system leader for cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation at Novant Health.

Novant Health has eight cardio-pulmonary rehab programs across the healthcare system, and the program at Presbyterian Medical Center and the Belk Heart and Vascular Institute is the largest, Wagoner said. Patients typically find their way to cardio-pulmonary rehab after a heart attack or some kind of heart or lung surgery, such as a bypass or stint. The program addresses each patient’s needs individually and in a group setting, offering camaraderie in addition to customization. And it changes lives, Wagoner said.

“But if they have to worry about their bills, they’re not going to do it, and so many tell us ‘no,’” Wagoner said. “Now, we’ll be able to say, ‘Yes, we can help you with that co-pay.’ And they can commit to embracing what we’ll teach them.”

Michelle Daniels is one patient who almost turned down treatment at the cardio-pulmonary rehab program at Novant Health. She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes back in 2004, and then, in 2015, she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. For years, she took annual echocardiograms, and each year, her results were good — until 2020.

“That year, my numbers didn’t look good, so the cardiologist immediately sent me to the rehab program. The team was so nice to me, and firm at the same time. But I was so scared,” Daniels said. “All I could think of were the bills. Even though I have a full-time job and insurance, when I see a specialist, it’s even more.”

That’s when Shannon DeLuca, a member of the cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation team, told her she qualified for a grant to help cover the costs.

“I started crying happy tears,” Daniels said. “I knew I wanted to do this.”

When she started the program, she was assigned a nurse, a dietician and an exercise therapist. Over the past few months, they have created an exercise program for Daniels. They’ve taught her how to cook and eat. And Daniels is proud to report, it has been a full year since she last had a soda.

“I feel stronger, mentally and physically. I just feel good. The team members are just awesome. They encourage you, and they work with you. Another thing is the challenge: It’s been so long since I’ve been in an exercise program like this, and I’m seeing results.” Daniels said.

There are more patients like Daniels, and for Rivas and her family, that means more ways the Rivas Fund can help.

“When I think about someone not being able to get cardiac rehab because they can’t make the co-pay, that hurts my heart,” Rivas said. “There is such a disparity in healthcare. We need a vehicle to make sure people can get the help they need.”