Steve Clark may be retired, but he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon thanks to Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute. For nearly twenty years, he’s been a Walker Heart Institute patient, and his life has changed because of it. Steve credits the care and expertise he’s received with guiding him through some of his most challenging moments.

One of the most pivotal moments came during a Razorback basketball game. Steve wasn’t feeling well and decided to leave at halftime. “After climbing the steps inside Bud Walton Arena, I became light-headed and leaned against a wall to catch my breath. Moments later, I slid down the wall and collapsed,” he recalls. Steve’s wife drove him straight to Washington Regional, where he was immediately admitted. 



Cardiologists with Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute diagnosed Steve with an abnormal heart rhythm. His doctor implanted a pacemaker to help his heart beat at a normal rate. But something was still off. In the months that followed, Steve experienced persistent chest pain that took a toll on his normally enthusiastic outlook on life. “I try to be an outgoing positive person, but pain has a real impact on that,” he says. “Pain will rob you of your spirt. It takes your joy away; it takes your patience away and a lot of your hope away.”

Steve again turned to the team at Walker Heart Institute for help. His care team reviewed data from a heart monitor he was given to wear and soon had an answer. Dr. Yang Yang, an electrophysiologist at Washington Regional Electrophysiology Clinic, determined Steve’s pain was caused by disorganized electrical signals in the heart and recommended a procedure called cardiac ablation. Cardiac ablation uses energy to destroy the cells that are causing the irregular rhythm. 

After undergoing the procedure, Steve felt an immediate and dramatic improvement. “There’s a big difference between the ablation and what happened afterwards than not having had the ablation. Life has changed for me. I’m a better husband, I’m a better father, I’m a better grandfather and I’m a better leader,” he says. 

Steve says if he could deliver a message to his care team at Washington Regional it would be one of profound gratitude for the hope they restored to his life. “I would tell my care team at Washington Regional how they changed my life, gave me hope and opportunity - the two greatest gifts in life. Thank God for Washington Regional. Thank God for the people who are there and that they care about other people.”