Heart failure patient receives specialized care closer to home

When Yusuf Alalwan, MD, walked into his patient Rodney Hardwick's room, the first thing Rodney's wife, Linda Hardwick, said was, "We just love you; there's no getting around that."

The admiration Rodney and Linda have for Alalwan is for good reason.

"He really saved my life," Rodney says.

A lifesaving decision

Since August 2024, Rodney had been experiencing heart-related issues and was a patient at the IU Health Heart Care Center - Muncie. In September 2025, his condition worsened, and he was no longer responding to conventional treatment for heart failure. Alalwan recognized that something serious was happening and sent Rodney to IU Health Methodist Hospital for additional testing.

After Rodney and Linda left Methodist Hospital and headed back to Noblesville to stay with their son, they received a call from Alalwan instructing them to return immediately.

When they arrived back at Methodist Hospital, Alalwan quickly began the process of having a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, implanted.

An LVAD is a battery-operated mechanical pump that is surgically implanted in patients with end-stage heart failure to help the left ventricle pump blood throughout the body.

Following surgery, Rodney attended in-person rehabilitation at Methodist Hospital for two to five hours each day, five days a week. Rodney and Linda were fortunate to stay at Fairhaven in Indianapolis, which provides a home away from home for patients and families when traveling home is not possible.

After six weeks of hard work, Rodney returned home and began exercising independently at his local community center.

Immediately after surgery, Rodney could barely lift his head. After participating in cardiac rehabilitation, he regained his strength and now follows a workout routine every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

"I'm walking about two miles, and then I go inside the community center and ride a stationary bicycle for another two miles," he says.

Close to home

Rodney's LVAD requires routine follow-up appointments and device-related care to ensure it continues functioning properly, care that previously required trips to Indianapolis.

Recognizing the need for care closer to home, Alalwan led the effort to bring these services to the Heart Care Center at Ball Memorial Hospital.

"This service will improve convenience and reduce the travel burden on patients and their families," Alalwan says.

Patients like Rodney can now receive specialized care closer to home while building lasting relationships with their local care team.

For Amy Roby, a nurse practitioner at the Heart Care Center, both the expanded services and the opportunity to reconnect with patients are especially meaningful.

"In the past, our advanced heart failure patients would be sent to Methodist, and often we would never see them again," she says. "It was gratifying to see Mr. Hardwick after his condition improved so much."

Today, Rodney and Linda are excited about Rodney's renewed energy. They also appreciate avoiding the traffic and busyness of Indianapolis while continuing to receive care from familiar faces at the Muncie Heart Care Center.