From the Edge of Death to a New Beginning

Every Patient Discharge Packet includes an invitation to “Share Your Story,” offering patients the opportunity to reflect on their experience and recognize the caregivers who supported them at Adventist Health Glendale. It’s rare to receive such a detailed and evocative submission as the one we received from Glendale resident Zareh Zargarian. We are so proud of the lifesaving care provided by Adventist Health Glendale Interventional Cardiologist Hambik H. Tankazyan, DO, and the vital role he played in Mr. Zargarian’s courageous journey to recovery. 
 
Here is Zareh’s story, in his own words: 

At the end of December 2018, my life changed forever. I remember feeling unusually tired, beyond anything I’d ever experienced. I looked pale, had no strength, and could barely move. My wife and daughter were alarmed. They insisted I stop everything and go straight to the emergency room at Adventist Health Glendale hospital. It was the holiday season, and many doctors were away. I didn’t know it then, but the person who would save my life was waiting there: Dr. Tankazyan. 

From the moment I met him, I sensed something different. He was young, probably in his thirties, but he carried himself with calm confidence and sharp focus. He explained that my condition was serious and recommended that I undergo an angiogram to examine my heart. My wife, worried and unsure, asked him, “Doctor, are you sure everything will be okay?” Doubting his age, she needed reassurance. And he gave it to her with steady eyes and a firm voice, he said, “Trust me, ma’am. I’ve done this many times. Don’t worry.” We trusted him, and that trust saved my life. 

During the angiogram, he discovered that three of my arteries were completely blocked. He began preparing me for open-heart surgery. But suddenly, everything went wrong. My heart failed. My lungs began filling rapidly with fluid. I couldn’t breathe; I had just a few breaths left. It was terrifying. But at that critical moment, Dr. Tankazyan didn’t panic. He rushed to me, placed an oxygen mask over my face, and shouted, “Breathe! Breathe deeply!” That night, he pulled me back from the edge of death.
 

Later, as the team prepared for surgery, the anesthesiologist discovered something even more dangerous: my heart was functioning at only 15%. The surgery was too risky. Most doctors would have stopped there. But Dr. Tankazyan didn’t walk away. Instead, he made a courageous decision: he attempted to open the arteries himself using a high-risk intervention. I can only imagine the pressure he was under, but he stayed strong and once again, he succeeded.
 

After the procedure, I spent six days in the ICU. On January 5th, I was discharged and began to feel better immediately. But just three days later, another blow hit me: I had a stroke. It left the left side of my body paralyzed.
 

Once again, I was admitted to Adventist Health Glendale, where I stayed for 20 long days. The doctors, nurses, and physical therapists treated me with exceptional care, helping me begin the difficult path to recovery. I slowly regained partial movement and returned home with slow progress toward my mobility.
 

But through it all, Dr. Tankazyan never gave up on me. He did something most doctors wouldn’t. He gave me his personal phone number. Every time I felt something was wrong, I called him. And every time, he met me at the hospital without hesitation, without excuses. Over the course of the next two years, he performed 12 angiograms and four more stent procedures on me at Adventist Health Glendale. He was always there, fighting for me when my body couldn’t. 

Eventually, he sat me down and told me something I already feared: my heart was failing. The only path left was a transplant. Thanks to his care, honesty, and tireless effort, that transplant was successfully completed. I got my second chance. 

Today, I’m alive. I’m walking. I’m breathing. And every heartbeat I have is because of one man who never gave up on me. Through this story, I wish to express my deepest gratitude and sincere appreciation to all the medical professionals at Adventist Health Glendale who provided me with exceptional care and support during my treatment. 

Thank you, Mr. Zargarian, for sharing your courageous story. It is the compassion of our caregivers and the clinical excellence of physicians like Dr. Tankazyan and the ICU team that make Adventist Health Glendale truly world-class.