The Beat Goes On
/Testing and an Unexpected Quintuple Bypass Surgery Saved District Attorney Jerry Rochelle’s life
By Sarah Vammen
photo by shane darby
“I had no idea I was walking around with a ticking time bomb in my chest.” These words from District Attorney Jerry Rocehlle reflect his surprise upon learning that he was experiencing significant heart disease. Now recovered from bypass surgery, he is grateful for a second chance at life.
A fifth-generation Texarkana resident, Jerry graduated from Texas High School and returned to Texarkana after finishing law school at the University of Arkansas. In 2011, Jerry was sworn in as the district attorney for Texarkana, Texas, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
photo by shane darby
Due to a genetic predisposition to heart disease and the stressful nature of his job, Jerry’s wife, Lori, insisted for several years that Jerry get his heart checked. Jerry resisted. “I led a pretty active life,” he said. “I’m no athlete, but I was healthy.” Therefore, Jerry did not see any reason to be concerned about his heart health. However, Lori won out in the end, and in mid-2023, she and Jerry each underwent Keep the Beat heart screenings at Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Keep the Beat is a screening and educational program offered only at AHH that enables anyone to take control of their cardiovascular health for the low price of $99.
“My philosophy now is that I have been granted a second chance without going through all the pain of a heart attack.”
Lori’s test results revealed that her heart was in perfect shape. Jerry’s results, however, were alarming. “I went into the appointment thinking they would say that, given my age, I needed to cut back on salt and lower my cholesterol,” Jerry said. On the contrary, the screening revealed that Jerry had significant blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. “The blockage I had was called a widowmaker,” he explained. “That got everyone’s attention.”
Jerry reported to Dr. Joseph J. Saporito at Texarkana Cardiology Associates for a cardiac catheterization to determine the extent of the blockage in Jerry’s heart. When Jerry woke up from the catheterization, the news was grimmer than expected: Jerry’s heart had five blockages and would require surgery. Jerry’s first question was, “When?”
After a Keep the Beat screening at Arkansas Heart Hospital, Jerry discovered that he needed immediate bypass surgery.
“I had my uncle’s funeral that day, and work, and my daughter had just gone back to Texas A&M University after the summer break,” Jerry said. “Dr. Saporito looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘What are you doing this afternoon?’ I realized, ‘If these guys are so serious that they want to cut me open in five hours, this must be significant.’
“The doctors said I could live the next 10–15 years without a problem, or I could drop dead in the cardiologist’s office in 10 minutes,” Jerry continued. There was no time for fear or second guessing; Jerry acted quickly. “I went to my uncle’s funeral, went home, got an overnight bag, and went back to the hospital.”
Jerry underwent quintuple coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery the following morning to repair the blocked arteries. The surgeons removed veins from his left leg and grafted them onto the blocked arteries to create detours for blood flow. “My surgeon, Dr. Reginald Baptiste, and his team are true leaders in their field,” Jerry said. “I was fortunate to get to them when I did, and they were fortunate to get to me before it was too late.”
The first few days after the surgery were foggy. Though Jerry doesn’t remember much, he does remember feeling grateful to be alive, grateful to see his wife and daughter again, and grateful for the exceptional care he received at St. Michael Hospital. “The staff treated me as one of their own,” he said. “Everyone from the receptionist to the person who rolled me out of the hospital in a wheelchair was perfect. I trusted everyone to do the best they could, and they did.”
With the support of his daughter, Olivia, and wife, Lori, Jerry Rochelle has served as District Attorney for Bowie County, Texas, since 2011.
After a long and careful recovery, Jerry is doing well. “I won’t be running a marathon any time soon, but I feel great,” Jerry said. “I just saw my daughter graduate college. I will be here to walk her down the aisle and see her finish her post-grad education.”
Jerry is now a major advocate for cardiovascular screening. “I would urge anyone I know to go get tested,” he said, emphasizing that testing is the only way he ever found out something was seriously wrong. “I didn’t have any symptoms. We wouldn’t have known until I was dead. My philosophy now is that I have been granted a second chance without going through all the pain of a heart attack. Everything is a little brighter and more intense because you never know when that last breath is coming—and I don’t want to rush it along.”