From Classroom to Cardiac Care: Finding the Right Help for Heart Disease
Dr. Frederick Gooding, Jr., has built a vibrant career as a professor at Texas Christian University. He’s also a licensed attorney, author and huge fan of the arts, especially film. His life, studies and work have taken him all across the country and planet, shaping a rich personal and professional journey. But there’s one chapter he never expected to be part of his story: heart disease.
Dr. Frederick Gooding, Jr.
It simply wasn’t on Gooding’s radar. He has always worked out religiously, cooked most of his meals at home, and rarely indulged in fast food. So when the 50-year-old began experiencing mild soreness in his neck in 2024, heart issues were the last thing on his mind.
That discomfort set off a year-long search for answers that Gooding calls a “goose chase” of sorts. Tests and doctors’ visits focused on the possibility of nerve damage in his neck, yet nothing fully explained his symptoms. The turning point came when Gooding’s wife of 30 years attended an American Heart Association event that highlighted lesser‑known signs of heart disease.
It was the ah-ha moment the Goodings had been missing.
“My wife came home with the brainstorm that instead of focusing on a neurologist for my neck, I should visit with a cardiologist instead,” Gooding recalls.
A meeting with cardiologist Nina Asrani, M.D., led to a cardiac catheterization procedure at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and, finally, a clear diagnosis of multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is the most common form of heart disease in the U.S. It happens when the coronary arteries become partially or completely blocked due to plaque buildup. If narrowing occurs in two or more of the major coronary arteries, it’s called multivessel coronary artery disease. The condition is especially dangerous because a person may not know they have it until they experience a severe side effect, such as a heart attack.
The blockage was so significant in Gooding’s arteries that he had the makings for what is commonly referred to as a “widow maker.” It’s a term that implies a sudden heart attack that happens when an artery that moves blood to the heart becomes seriously blocked. Without emergency medical treatment, the chances of surviving this type of cardiac event are relatively low.
The Right Care When Needed Most
With a diagnosis in hand, Gooding found himself under the care of Moritz Wyler von Ballmoos, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and at Texas Health Heart & Lung Surgical Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice. Wyler von Ballmoos was quick to assess Gooding’s condition and recommend an advanced surgical procedure.
“Dr. Gooding’s condition was serious and he needed open-heart surgery to take healthy blood vessels from another part of his body, in this case his right leg, and graft them in place to create a workaround for the severely blocked arteries,” Wyler von Ballmoos explains.
Several days after his cardiac cath procedure, Gooding underwent a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) to replace three damaged blood vessels near his heart.
“Not having any indication of heart disease made the experience so sudden and shocking, but Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos assured me that the rate of recovery from bypass surgery was high given my age and overall health condition” Gooding says. “He reassured me that I did not do anything to bring on the condition, as one can control their diet and exercise regimen but ultimately cannot control their genes. As a result, I had to reconcile with the fact that it was most important to do the right thing by accepting the treatment option of open heart surgery. He explained the procedure thoroughly to help provide some peace of mind.”
Now almost a year beyond his surgery, Gooding is back to teaching and working out five times a week. He completed the cardiac rehabilitation program at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth consisting of counseling and exercises to help improve his heart health and says he is doing “super fantastic.”
“Thanks to Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos and his caring team, this surgery has impacted my life by SAVING it! I know everyone involved will humbly shrug off my compliments as if they were just ‘doing their job’ — which is fine. But I am so appreciative that these people not only did their jobs but did so excellently. I shall never forget this blessing,” he adds.
Stay a step ahead of heart disease by taking a simple assessment of your heart health and visit TexasHealth.org for more information.