Special Ed Teacher from Seneca Goes from the Court to Successful Triple Bypass Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital

Levi Derber was shooting hoops with his 13-year-old son and the son’s friend in a high school gym Nov. 15. 

It was him against the two youngsters, and after a while, the 41-year-old high school special ed teacher thought he might have been overmatched. 

“I started feeling dizzy, out of breath and my chest was really hurting,” said Derber, of Seneca. “After a half hour or so, the other symptoms went away, but my chest was still hurting. I thought I’d better call my wife to drive us home.” 

Once home, a friend who’s a nurse suggested Derber go to the hospital. Not long after, he was taken by ambulance to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. He was wheeled directly to the cardiac intensive care unit. 

“I wasn’t familiar with Silver Cross Hospital. We’re out here in the boonies. But the doctors and nurses there were amazing, answering all our questions and giving us updates,” he said. “Nurses who weren’t even assigned to me would come back to check on me, remembering my name and my wife, Katie’s.” 

After finding two of Derber’s arteries were completely blocked, and the third 80 percent blocked, Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Nina Delavari recommended coronary artery bypass surgery. 

Derber was surprised with all of this, having no cardiac issues in the family, prior heart symptoms and no history as a smoker. 

“High cholesterol, that’s about it. Otherwise, this was all out of the blue. Doctors said maybe just stress and bad luck,” he added. 

Derber said the surgery was “very successful, and after a spending six days in the hospital to recover, he was home in time for Thanksgiving dinner … sort of. 

“We were supposed to go to my parents’ house for a big dinner, but we had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. I don’t even remember what we ate, but I was especially thankful.” 

“Mr. Derber and his wife were faced with a terrifying situation, but we are so happy that he was in the right place at the right time,” said Miesha Landers, Manager of the Cardiovascular Unit and the Cardiovascular Step-Down Unit at Silver Cross. 

“We are grateful to have cared for Mr. Derber and to get him home just in time to have an extra thankful Thanksgiving celebration.” 

Derber said he’ll be following up regularly for some time with Dr. Hong Jun Yun, an Interventional Cardiologist on staff at Silver Cross. 

His heart attack left him with an ejection fraction – the amount of blood leaving the left ventricle with each heartbeat – at 25 to 30 percent; 55 to 70 percent is normal. 

“But Dr. Yun said he sees a marathon runner whose heart pumps at my level, so not to worry too much,” he added. “If there are any issues down the road, I may need a defibrillator. Otherwise, I can lead a normal life.” 

Although he’d never experienced Silver Cross Hospital before his heart attack, Derber said everyone there made a lasting impression. 

“You could tell they weren’t there just for the medical issues. They care about the whole person. They really wanted me to get better. That means a lot.” 

For more information or to schedule a $49 heart scan, visit silvercross.org/heart