On a brisk October day in 2025, Janice Berman’s life changed. During a routine powerwalk in her Montclair neighborhood, she started to feel an unexplained tightness in her chest.
“Not a pain, but it felt like [it was] a piece of taffy… was being stretched apart,” the 68 year old described. “And along with that came a little dizziness and some nausea. I sat down on the curb and I thought, ‘What’s going on with me?’”
After a minute of rest, she got up and finished her walk. The same tightness happened again the next day. The day after, Berman was cooking at her synagogue when she struck up a conversation with a retired doctor that proved pivotal.
“I told him what happened, and he said, ‘Call the doctor. Immediately.’”
She called the office of her internist, Dr. Michael Molinaro. After she described her symptoms, she was directed to go to the emergency room. She immediately went to Mountainside Medical Center.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to be here for a couple hours,’” she said. “[But] right away they took me in and to a room. [They] took my blood pressure. And of course it was [very high]. So, I thought, ‘Uh-oh, this is a problem.’”
Cardiologist Dr. Dusan Knezevic ordered tests for Berman. After a normal EKG and echocardiogram, she was admitted overnight for a cardiac catheterization. Dr. Ankitkumar Patel, cardiac interventionalist, performed the procedure.
“I was looking at the screen because I’m fascinated with what’s happening,” Berman said.
Those results were striking. Dr. Patel had located a 99% blockage in her right coronary artery. He’d placed a stint to restore blood flow through her heart. He said her left artery was also over 77% blocked, but he recommended waiting a month to implant another stent.
This discovery caught Berman off guard. As a healthy, active person who enjoys yoga, walking and dance classes, she never expected such a severe heart condition.
“I was shocked,” said Berman. “I had no other symptoms whatsoever. Never in 1,000 years would I have thought that.”
She returned the following month for a second stent procedure.
“Four out of five of the nurses in the cath lab were the same people,” she said. “I felt really comfortable with them and Dr. Patel. I knew I was in great hands… this is your heart. This isn’t, you know, a little broken finger. It’s your heart.”
Afterward, Dr. Knezevic recommended cardiac rehabilitation to support her heart recovery and stabilize her blood pressure.
“Having the cardiac rehab was so important,” she said. “I felt comfortable knowing that my blood pressure was being monitored three times in one hour.”
Now, Berman continues her follow-up care with Dr. Knezevic and is more mindful of her heart health. She was so touched by the care she received from Mountainside Medical Center’s cardiology specialists that she has applied to become a volunteer at the hospital.
“I had such amazing care and I want to give back,” she said. “I like to help people… being in a hospital is not like helping people at a gym. People are there for a reason. I’m happy and grateful to be able to give back.”
Click here or call 973-873-7787 to learn more about cardiovascular services at Mountainside Medical Center.