Trinity Health helps “Mr. Larry” defy the odds
June 16, 2026
Larry Fessenden, 79, is lucky to be alive.
Two days before Thanksgiving 2025, he returned home from deer hunting with pain in his left arm and shortness of breath. What Larry didn’t know is that his symptoms were due to a 99% blockage in the left anterior descending artery or LAD, aka the widowmaker.
When he told his wife, Linda, how he was feeling, she offered to take him to the hospital, but Larry declined. That’s when Linda called their daughter Natalie, who is an RN at Trinity Health Shelby Hospital. Natalie sent one of her adult sons to pick up his grandparents and take them to the nearby emergency department.
The medical team was already prepared to give Larry an EKG and then transfer him to Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital.
Holidays delayed
Due to the extraordinary efforts of his medical teams at Trinity Health in Shelby and Muskegon, in January 2026, Larry was able to spend a delayed Christmas at home surrounded by family.
It turns out Larry had been a “walking, ticking timebomb, according to Linda. Larry already had high blood pressure and diabetes, and he had suffered two strokes. But no specific chronic cardiovascular disease had been identified.
When the family met Meghan Halub, MD, Trinity Health Medical Group - Cardiothoracic Surgery - Muskegon Campus | Trinity Health Michigan, they knew it was his heart. Thankfully, a cardiologist had already inserted a balloon pump preoperatively to help Larry’s failing heart pump blood throughout his body.
“I got a call from our cardiologist about a patient who was in critical condition. I performed a double coronary artery bypass surgery that day,” said Dr. Halub. “Amazingly, Larry did not have a widowmaker heart attack, but he was very sick.”
Double bypass surgery redirects blood around two blocked vessels in the heart by grafting blood vessels from other parts of the patient’s body onto the heart.
“My big goal for Larry was to get him home for Christmas, which is what he wanted,” said Dr. Halub.
Following surgery, Larry was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on a ventilator for a long time, so the family missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with Larry.
“But the Fessendens had a delayed Christmas in January, and Larry sent me pictures of it,” said Dr. Halub.
“Getting Larry through everything was definitely a team effort. Linda was by his side at all times, and that was truly key to his well-being,” Dr. Halub added.
“It was a difficult time for us,” said Linda. “At one point, it didn’t seem that Larry would make it.”
The power of prayer
Larry has a large family, so there were a lot of prayers for his recovery. That included those of Dr. Halub.
“My son and I pray for all my patients each night,” shared Dr. Halub, “using only first names. I told Larry that my son prayed for ‘Mr. Larry,’ and it meant a lot to him.
“Dr. Halub’s son sent me a blue angel that I still keep next to my bed. It gave me a big boost.”
Mutual admiration
Dr. Halub describes the Fessenden family in this way: “I love Larry and Linda and their family. Heart surgery is one of the biggest surgeries we do in medicine. We can give people a longer life. I was honored to be his surgeon. The Fessendens are good people in our community who make the world a better place.”
The family is grateful for the excellent care they received from Larry’s medical teams in Shelby and Muskegon, as well as that given by Dr. Halub.
“She was wonderful about talking to us and letting us know what was happening,” said Linda. “Dr. Halub was like family. She and her son prayed for us. She explained everything and even came to see Larry later, when he was getting rehabilitation once he was discharged.”
As for the overall care at Trinity Health, Larry said, “The care was excellent. I’ve never seen so many people be so concerned and helpful to me. I want my ICU nurse, Evan, to know how much I appreciated how hard he worked without hesitation to clean my draining tubes.”
The benefits of local care
Linda is grateful that Dr. Halub fought for Larry to go to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation in Muskegon instead of going to a nursing home. Dr. Halub respected Larry’s desire to go home as soon as possible.
“Larry needed outpatient rehab after being in the ICU for so long,” Dr. Halub said. “He needed to regain his strength. He did a good job with rehab.”
It seemed that whenever they turned around, the Fessendens ran into extended family members and friends of their family working in the hospital.
“Being in the hospital was like a family reunion,” said Larry. “It makes you feel good. Everyone at Trinity Health was friendly and helpful.”
Providing quality, local care is important to Dr. Halub, as well.
“Our cardiothoracic surgeons are local,” she said. “We are invested in our community. We get to know people very well. Patients in Muskegon can get unique, individualized care at Trinity Health, which is close to home. You get quality care without traveling too far.
“And if Larry had needed more complex care, Trinity Health’s connection to the University of Michigan is another advantage for patients.” Dr. Halub added.
Through the Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan, Trinity Health and University of Michigan Health-West bring patients the perfect blend of local care and nationally recognized expertise. This collaboration connects you with the renowned Frankel Cardiovascular Center — one of the nation’s leading programs for heart and vascular care.
Insurance coordination at Trinity Health
As a Vietnam-era veteran, Larry receives his medical care from the Veteran’s Administration (VA) and Trinity Health. Care coordination and insurance billing can be difficult for patients not familiar with the protocols.
Larry wants to give a shout out to the insurance coordinator at Trinity Health who helped him and his family get coverage by the VA, despite there not being a “referral” for this emergency.
He recalls the insurance coordinator saying, “Don’t worry about a thing. We will get this figured out.”
Today, Larry is still tired and finds it difficult to bend over. But he tries to keep busy. He still visits a community center in Ferry, Michigan, that he and other volunteers created. And although he cannot carry a gun, he still attends veterans’ funerals, which is important to him. He stands at attention along with the honor guards. Although not as active as before, Larry has found other ways to contribute to these two groups.
Upon reflection, Larry said, “You know, A few months before my surgery, I was having new shortness of breath and fatigue, so I had some tests done, but they showed no concerning results. Now I wish I had followed up with my primary care provider about why that was still happening.”
At this time in his life, Larry is grateful for his family and the power of prayer. And he has peace of mind knowing that Trinity Health “has his back.”
To Larry, that is priceless.
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