Coach Danny Broussard felt fine.
No chest pain. No dramatic warning. Just a busy life and a job he loves. He has spent decades leading the basketball program at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, the fifth-winningest high school coach in the history of the sport.
But inside his chest, his heart was keeping a secret – a 99% blockage in the artery doctors ominously call the “widow maker.” He had no idea.
That’s the quiet danger of heart disease. It doesn’t always knock before it enters. Sometimes it builds slowly, in silence, until the day it can no longer be ignored. And by then, the window to act may already be closing.
Chance DeWitt, MD, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon with FMOL Health | Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital, has seen this story unfold more times than he can count. He knows how skilled the human body is at hiding trouble and how a screening can bring that trouble into the light before it’s too late.
In this episode of Straight From the Source, Dr. DeWitt shares the clinical realities behind Danny’s diagnosis, the everyday miracle of catching disease early and why the relationship you build with your primary care provider may be one of the most important bonds you’ll ever make.
A Heart That Hides the Truth
One idea runs through the entire conversation: the heart is remarkably good at compensating. Even when something is seriously wrong, the body finds a way to keep going.
“Even though we may have a disease process going on, the human body can compensate for it, and it will compensate to the very end,” Dr. DeWitt says. “But there’s going to come a degree we can’t compensate anymore.”
That’s what makes silent heart disease so dangerous. A blockage can grow slowly enough that the heart quietly adjusts, and the person carrying it never feels the strain.
When symptoms do appear, they can be easily dismissed. Danny believed he had no symptoms at all. But Dr. DeWitt noted that he actually experienced shortness of breath, a sign so vague and so common that most people would never trace it back to their heart.
“Even when patients don’t have symptoms, there can be things lurking in the dark that we don’t know about,” Dr. DeWitt says.
The Question That Changed Everything
Danny’s story didn’t begin in the operating room. It began with an ordinary checkup.
His only known concern was slightly elevated cholesterol, and his primary care physician, Kelly Cahill, MD, had been watching it closely. During that visit, Dr. Cahill asked a simple question.
“Coach, have you ever taken a calcium test?”
That set everything in motion. The calcium scoring test, a quick, painless screening that costs around $100 and takes about 20 minutes, revealed a dangerously high score. Further testing uncovered the 99% blockage in his widow maker artery and another blockage behind his heart.
Because stenting carried too much risk, Danny was referred to Dr. DeWitt for bypass surgery. The entire journey, from routine checkup to recovery, unfolded in a matter of days.
Why Your Doctor Should Know You
The hero of this story isn’t just a test. It’s a relationship.
Danny had a doctor who knew his history, tracked his numbers over time and cared enough to ask the right question. That’s the quiet power of primary care.
Dr. DeWitt compares it to caring for a car.
“You don’t run your car on one change of oil,” he says. “You need maintenance, because you’re going to burn it up if you don’t go get it checked out.”
His advice is straightforward: find a good primary care provider, keep up with your follow-ups and follow the screening guidelines they set for you. Treating a problem early, a heart blockage, a small nodule in the lung, can prevent a crisis 10 or 15 years down the road.
“When we’re 20 and 30, you feel indestructible, but as you get older, you definitely need some maintenance,” Dr. DeWitt says.
The Everyday Miracles
There’s one more part of this story Dr. DeWitt holds close.
When Danny went into surgery anda whole community stopped to pray. His family, his former players, his church and his town lifted him up together.
For a surgeon who spends his days at the edge of what medicine can do, that faith isn’t a footnote. It’s part of the healing.
“Sometimes people say there are no more miracles,” Dr. DeWitt reflects. “And I often say I see them every day. You just have to look for them.”
Prevention and prayer. Science and community. At FMOL Health, they aren’t opposing forces. They work hand in hand, reflecting a mission to care for every person with dignity, compassion and hope.
The calcium test gave Danny a fighting chance. Dr. DeWitt’s skill carried him through. And the love that surrounded him gave him peace.
Don’t Wait for Your Heart to Speak
Danny’s story leaves us with a few clear truths:
- Feeling fine is not proof of a healthy heart. Serious disease can develop quietly, without warning.
- Ask about a calcium score test. If you’re middle-aged or have risk factors like high cholesterol, this quick, affordable screening could reveal what you can’t feel.
- Build a lasting relationship with a primary care provider. A doctor who knows you is your first and best line of defense.
- Treat problems early. Acting now can protect the years ahead.
Your heart may be keeping a secret. You don’t have to wait for it to speak. Ready to learn about your own heart health?
