Mike Craig: Carotid Endarterectomy

35: The number of hockey games Mike has played in since his vascular surgery.

Mike Craig’s love of hockey may have saved his life. Active, fit and still playing on a weekly ice hockey league at age 64, Mike hadn’t been overly concerned about his family history of vascular disease.

That is, until U.S. Olympic gold medalist goalie Jim Craig (no relation), helped raise Mike’s awareness of a life-threatening issue.

In 2010, Jim Craig came to Jackson as a guest speaker for a presentation done by Henry Ford  vascular surgeon Paul Corcoran, MD. An advocate for vascular health, Jim had lost his father to an abdominal aortic aneurysm—a weakness in the wall of the body’s largest artery that can rupture at any time.

Mike admittedly attended the event for the opportunity to meet a member of the legendary Miracle on Ice U.S. Hockey team that beat Russia in the 1980 Olympics. As it turned out, he was also impressed with the impassioned message about vascular disease prevention. Mike decided to stay for a free, 15-minute vascular screening sponsored by Henry Ford Jackson Hospital.

While the test showed that Mike’s aortic artery was clear, there were 50 percent blockages in both carotid arteries – the major blood vessels on either side of the neck that supply blood to the brain, neck and face. Such blockages, caused by a buildup of plaque, can restrict blood flow to the brain and increase the risk of stroke.

Mike followed up with his family doctor, who recommended a healthier diet and regular monitoring of the carotid arteries. There was no change in the arteries for the first few years, so Mike skipped his 2014 check-up. He went back in January 2015 and learned the blockage in his right carotid had increased to more than 80 percent. At this point, Dr. Corcoran recommended a procedure called a carotid endarterectomy to remove the plaque clogging the artery.

“Dr. Corcoran is fantastic, very skilled, down-to-earth and easy to talk to. “I completely trusted him.” - Mike Craig, carotid endarterectomy patient

After the three-hour surgery, Dr. Corcoran told Mike the blockage was “a stroke waiting to happen.” The plaque buildup was at the point of breaking off and going to the brain.

“As serious as this was, Dr. Corcoran and his amazing staff at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital actually made the experience enjoyable,” Mike recalled. “One nurse in particular, Kaitlin, was so pleasant and funny that she had my whole family laughing.”

Mike continues to stay fit with exercise and hockey, and he has an annual vascular screening. So far, there has been no change in the left carotid artery, which remains 50 percent blocked. Dr. Corcoran continues to monitor the artery and will provide treatment if it becomes necessary.

“As we go through life, God steps in with people who make a difference,” Mike said. “Now there are two more in my life, Paul Corcoran and Jim Craig.”