A gathering with friends and family,
dinner at a special restaurant –
that’s how most 84-year-olds might
choose to spend their birthdays.
But not World War II Navy veteran
and retired NYC fireman William
T. Mundy of Broad Channel, NY.
No, Mr. Mundy went sky diving.
William Mundy skydives for the first time.
But in addition to having an
interesting birthday story, Mr.
Mundy also has a medical history
that includes suffering for years
with atrial fibrillation – an irregular
and often rapid heart rate that
causes poor blood flow to the body.
In 2008, a dizzy spell brought him
to Winthrop’s Emergency Room, which
led him to Todd Cohen, MD, Director
of Electrophysiology and the Pacemaker/
Arrhythmia Center at Winthrop. Dr.
Cohen determined that Mr. Mundy was
a candidate for an implantable converter
defibrillator (ICD) – a small device that
corrects abnormalities in the heart’s
rhythm and delivers lifesaving therapies
to treat dangerous arrhythmias.
Mr. Mundy agreed to the procedure,
and thanks to the outstanding
care and continuous monitoring that
he has received from Dr. Cohen and
his team, Mr. Mundy is now in overall
good health. With his new lease on life,
Mr. Mundy decided that there was no
better time than the present to fulfill
one of his life-long dreams.
“I have always loved heights and
wanted to go skydiving,” said Mr.
Mundy, who on a pristine June morning
looked out from his second home in
New Paltz, NY, and said to himself,
“Today’s the day!”
After taking off from The Ranch in
Gardener, NY, Mr. Mundy made his
first dive from high above the clouds.
He enjoyed the experience so much that
he’s gone three more times since
then, including on his 84th birthday
as his loved ones looked on.
He plans to jump again on his
next birthday on September 6 or,
according to Mr. Mundy, “unless I
get the urge to go before then!”
In addition to skydiving, Mr.
Mundy has been able to enjoy
numerous special activities in
recent months thanks to his stable
health. He was a participant on the
Daily News’ float during the 2011
Veterans Day Parade in New York
City, and, most recently was chosen
from among several hundred
applicants to participate in Veterans of
the Game, hosted by the New York
Mets at Citi Field on May 17, 2012.
“My father’s dream – and all of these
recent things – would have never been
possible if it weren’t for the outstanding
care that he received at Winthrop,” said
Mr. Mundy’s daughter, Jill, who is truly
grateful to all of the staff who played a
role in the care of both her father and
mother, who was also a patient at
Winthrop several years ago. “It has
changed his life.”
|
Vol. 22, No. 2
Summer 2012
Back to Publications
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