CLINTON, Okla. ( KFOR ) – Johann Theron remembers even the simple, mundane tasks around his Clinton, Oklahoma home becoming more and more difficult.
“I couldn’t walk from my house to my mailbox and back without being out of breath,” said Theron. “I think it was more serious than what I realized.”
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After getting checked out at the CardioVascular Health Clinic in Northwest Oklahoma City, he learned one of his arteries was 95% blocked, the other 75%.
When asked how close Theron was to having a stroke, Dr. Jim Melton said, “With both sides blocked as badly as they were, he was at very high risk.”
It was a terrifying discovery for 60-year-old Theron, who was born and raised in South Africa. He’s lived in the U.S. for about seven years.
“I thought, did I come to America just to come and die here?” said Theron.
To treat Theron, this summer, Dr. Melton performed a minimally invasive procedure called Transcarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR). It became FDA approved in 2015.