When Looking Back Means Paying It Forward

After undergoing five procedures in California for complex arrythmia, Los Angeles attorney Steve Blau was referred to Dr. Roderick Tung in Arizona for further care. An internationally renowned specialist in cardiac electrophysiology and an expert in the management of heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), Dr. Tung joined Banner Health in 2021, helping to usher in a new era in advanced cardiovascular medicine in Phoenix.

Steve knew immediately he was in the best hands.

“Dr. Tung said he could do this; he has the experience and the skill to do what I needed,” Steve explains.

“Afterwards, he said the outcome was an A+. I’ve been feeling wonderful ever since. I feel 15 years younger.”

As director of the Cardiovascular Center, Dr. Tung is helping Banner—University Medical Center Phoenix become a premier destination for heart care. Dr. Tung specializes in catheter ablation—a procedure that targets and cauterizes abnormal tissue to eliminate heart rhythm irregularities. Dr. Tung is also one of a few electrophysiologists in the world who routinely performs epicardial mapping and ablation.

Steve is so grateful for getting his active lifestyle back—swimming, running, spin classes, sailing—that he has pledged a generous gift in his estate plan to support the Cardiovascular Center.

“Without the procedure, I couldn’t do all of this,” he says. “When you have arrythmia, it doesn’t stop you from living your life, but you feel it. You can’t pick up as many boxes. Walking up a hill, you get winded. Now, it’s like it never happened. It’s just gone. All of my stamina is back.”

Opening the door for others to regain their lives is a legacy that Steve wishes to leave.

“When I look back at what Dr. Tung did for me, I want that for others,” Steve says.