SigMT

Denise Czuprynski has been writing and editing her full career in marketing and communications. She feels proud and blessed to call Cascade, Montana her home. COMMUNICATION AND COMFORT For most parents, comfort comes from a good doctor-patient relationship. Cade's dad, Ted Stuff, says, "His bedside manner was unbelievable. It's like [Ruggerie] was Cade's mentor. He drew pictures upside down to explain how the heart works; we still have them." Cade is on a baseball scholarship at Miles City Community College. Perhaps more remarkable, he continued to play ball despite SVT, under Dr. Ruggerie's care. "Cade was a 15-year old shortstop playing on the AA Great Falls Chargers Legion team through this all," Stuff comments. Cade's rapid heartbeat was successfully treated through two ablation surgeries at SCH. Angela remembers the referral from Dr. Ruggerie. "He wanted Cade to be with the 'A Team'; they do these surgeries every day. Dr. Ruggerie put us at ease with his gentleness, compassion, and confidence; we knew we were in good hands." According to Cade, "You can tell he really cares about his patients. I'd recommend Dr. Ruggerie to anyone; he's as good as they get." e nurses play a huge role, too. "I like to be able to help parents deal with the stress," Nurse Townsend says. "And I especially love taking care of the kids. It's rewarding to see kids become adults." Ruggerie sees a bright future for his discipline. "No field has progressed as successfully as pediatric cardiology in the past 50 years," he says. "We went from most patients not surviving their high school years to 90 percent now living to adulthood." CHANGING CARDIO CARE Personalized medicine based on DNA analysis and advanced technology will allow for an even greater success rate, he says. "3-D models of individual hearts based on imaging allow us to take measurements, make flow models of blood, and build individual, customized heart valves, for instance. ese applications of new technologies to kids' cardio are the finest in the country at Seale Children's and with our partners." e field has also expanded exponentially. "Historically, people with heart problems were adults and a small group of children," Ruggerie says. "We didn't really start to fix the child's heart until the 1970s. Now we have a subspecialty for adults with congenital heart disease. Patients range from the unborn fetus, to preemies, infants, toddlers, children, and adults—right up to Grandma. We are redefining the field." SiG MT 43 Dr. Ruggerie uses models and drawings to show patients how the heart functions. A heart model helps children and families understand the anatomy of the normal heart. Cade Stuff at age 17 with the Great Falls Chargers Legion team, following two heart surgeries. Cade (far left) and family the day before his first surgery in Seattle. S MT Supplied Photo Supplied Photo

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