Eva Schmon
A Familiar Place to Heal
After spending nearly two decades caring for cardiac patients at Broward Health, Eva Schmon never imagined she would return one day, not as a nurse or visitor, but as a patient.
A retired nurse and Miami Beach resident, Eva worked for 18 years on Broward Health’s cardiac telemetry floor, where she cared for patients recovering from open-heart surgery. Her connection to cardiac care runs deep. More than 25 years ago, she was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, a condition that initially caused no symptoms and allowed her to continue working, caring for others and living an active life.
For a couple of years, Eva has been seeing Alan L. Niederman, M.D., a board-certified interventional cardiologist with the Broward Health Physician Group, to monitor her condition.
When she began experiencing symptoms, Dr. Niederman ordered a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) to assess her heart. When she found out she needed surgery, there was no question where she would turn. She requested Dr. Herskowitz for her mitral valve repair surgery, having cared for many of his patients over the years.
The mitral valve is located between the top and bottom chambers on the left side of the heart. Mitral valve prolapse causes the valve to leak significantly.
“When surgery is required for this condition, mitral valve repair surgery is the preferred treatment over replacement,” said Kenneth Herskowitz, M.D., Medical Director of Cardiovascular Surgery at Broward Health Medical Center. “It preserves the patient’s natural anatomy, and we have excellent 25 year data that shows this procedure is associated with lower operative mortality, better long-term survival, fewer valve-related complications and avoids the need for lifelong use of blood thinners.”
Eva met with Dr. Herskowitz, who recommended moving forward with the surgery quickly to ensure the best possible recovery. While she felt confident in his recommendation, the call to schedule her surgery made everything feel real.
“When they called me, I got a little nervous,” she recalled. “But I told myself I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole of fear. I have the best doctors, and I trust them to do what’s right for me.”
On the day of surgery at Broward Health Medical Center, she was surrounded by familiar faces in pre-op as her former colleagues helped put her at ease. When she woke up in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), she immediately felt safe.
“The nurses were wonderful,” Eva said. “I could always see them through the window. They explained everything, checked on me constantly and made sure I was comfortable. I felt like I was at home.”
After being in the CVICU, she was transferred to the telemetry floor, where she once worked. Though many of the nurses were new faces, the level of care felt just as personal and compassionate.
Drawing on her nursing background, Eva followed her care team’s guidance closely, walking the halls, taking her medication and celebrating small milestones throughout her recovery. Thankfully, she experienced no complications and steadily regained her strength.
Throughout her hospital stay, Dr. Herskowitz and his physician assistant checked on her daily and worked closely with the nursing team.
“There was constant communication between everyone on my care team about my treatment,” Eva shared. “That teamwork gave me complete confidence.”
Today, she looks back on her experience with gratitude and a deep respect for the caregivers she once stood beside. She even returned with chocolates to thank the providers who cared for her.
“I remember how I went the extra mile for patients when I was a nurse at Broward Health, and I saw how the physicians and nurses did the same for me,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Eva hopes her story encourages others facing heart surgery not to let fear stand in the way.
“Trust your doctor. Listen to your nurses. Trust the process,” she said. “You are in the greatest of hands at Broward Health.”
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