"The Miracle Man" – How Heart Surgeons at Orange Coast Medical Center Gave Tosh Ono a Chance to Reach a Milestone Nobody in His Family Had Done Before

In February 2023, Huntington Beach residents Tosh and JoAnn Ono were exploring the wonders of Egypt when Tosh began experiencing persistent neck pain. Thinking it was just a strain from carrying a backpack, they brushed it off and continued their adventure.

Back home, Tosh still couldn’t shake the discomfort. He visited his primary care doctor, who prescribed a neck brace. Although neck pain isn’t typically associated with heart problems, Tosh asked for an EKG just to be safe. The results were normal.

“We were very perplexed,” said JoAnn. “We had a trip planned to visit our daughter in Japan, and Tosh was just in too much pain to travel that far, and we were just looking for answers. So instead, our daughter decided she would come to us.”

A Hospital They Knew They Could Count On

On Saturday, March 22, their daughter Leslie flew in from Japan. By then, Tosh’s pain had become unbearable. The family picked her up from the airport and drove straight to MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center.

They had the opportunity to stop at many other hospitals along the way, but the family was familiar with the level of quality and compassionate care they’d received in the past—both JoAnn and her mother had been treated there. They trusted their community hospital in this time of need.

When they got Tosh to the emergency department, the entire team sprang into action. They immediately took Tosh back, did some testing, and admitted him right away—to the family’s surprise, Tosh was experiencing a heart attack.

“When you think of neck pain, you just don’t think heart issues,” says JoAnn. “You think of left arm pain or clutching your chest or not being able to breathe. While Tosh did have some shortness of breath, we just didn’t think it could be a heart attack. That is why we feel compelled to tell our story and hopefully help other families.”

A Leading Heart Program in a Community Hospital

Doctors stabilized Tosh, but he needed bypass surgery. Cardiac surgeons Dr. Rachel Hargrove and Dr. Tuan Lam from the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center were called in to perform the procedure.

Orange Coast Medical Center has some of the leading heart and vascular programs and physicians in Orange County, and is the only hospital in the area to earn a three-star rating for coronary bypass grafting from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, six consecutive times, and also another three-star rating for a new category called Multi-procedural two consecutive times. No other hospital in Orange County has those distinctions.

“The three-star accolades denote the highest category of quality and firmly puts Orange Coast Medical Center among the elite cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada,” said Tuan Lam, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon, Orange Coast Medical Center.

On Wednesday, March 26, at 3 p.m., Tosh underwent surgery with Dr. Hargrove leading and Dr. Lam assisting.

“Dr. Hargrove was wonderful. She explained everything and told us the surgery would take a couple of hours. She encouraged us to go home and rest, and promised to send updates,” JoAnn said.

From Routine to Critical: A Twelve-Hour Fight to Save a Life

Jo Ann and Leslie waited anxiously at home. After three hours without news, they grew concerned.

“We just had a feeling something wasn’t going well,” JoAnn said.

They called the hospital and learned there had been complications. A nurse assured them that Dr. Hargrove would call as soon as she could.

Around midnight, the phone rang.

“As soon as Dr. Hargrove started talking, I asked, ‘Is he alive?’ She said yes, but explained that Tosh was still in the operating room,” said JoAnn. “They were waiting to make sure his blood was clotting properly.”

Before the surgery began, Tosh experienced a medical emergency. As the anesthesia was administered, he suddenly coded—his heart stopped. The surgical team acted immediately to resuscitate him and stabilize his condition. During this critical moment, they discovered something far more serious: Tosh had suffered an aortic dissection, a rare and life-threatening condition.

An aortic dissection occurs when the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s main artery, tears. Blood surges through the tear, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to separate. If the blood-filled channel ruptures through the outer aortic wall, it can be fatal. The condition is often sudden and severe, requiring emergency surgery to prevent catastrophic outcomes like stroke, heart attack, or organ failure.

“Not only did he have significant blockage in the left main coronary artery, but there was also a tear in Tosh’s aorta—the body’s main artery—this had to be fixed first, before we could do the coronary artery bypass surgery,” said Rachel Hargrove, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon, Orange Coast Medical Center. “We had to put Tosh onto the heart-lung bypass machine during surgery in order to keep him from crashing.”

Dr. Hargrove quickly repaired the torn section of the aorta using a synthetic graft and then proceeded to perform the coronary artery bypass surgery. The team had to wait patiently for Tosh’s blood to begin clotting properly before they could complete the surgery. What was expected to be a routine bypass operation turned into a complex, high-risk procedure that lasted nearly twelve hours.

“The next day, when we visited Tosh in the ICU, a nurse told us Dr. Hargrove stayed with him until 3 a.m.,” JoAnn said. “That’s twelve straight hours. We owe so much to Dr. Hargrove and Dr. Lam.”

Recovery, Resilience, and a Remarkable Milestone

The days following surgery were tough, but Tosh kept fighting. Dr. Lam visited him and wrote “The Miracle Man” on the heart pillow Tosh used to ease discomfort while coughing or moving. With the help of physical and occupational therapy, Tosh continued to improve and was able to go home on April 12.

“It was because of Orange Coast Medical Center and those two surgeons that Tosh was able to celebrate his 80^th birthday,” says JoAnn. “And because of them, he is the first man in this family to achieve that. When Tosh and I talk about it now, how it could have turned out so differently, we are just very grateful for everyone who helped bring Tosh back to his family.”

The family celebrated Tosh’s birthday on September 7, 2025 a day they’ll never forget. Tosh is now receiving follow-up care from cardiologist Dr. Yu-Ming Ni and is very pleased with how he’s progressing. So well in fact, the entire family is planning a trip to Japan to celebrate Christmas and the New Year together.

“I was so thrilled to hear about Tosh’s 80^th birthday milestones,” said Dr. Hargrove. “We just spend a brief time in each of our patient’s lives, but to see the ripple effect beyond that is what makes doing what we do so rewarding. Giving our patients a second chance, is why we put the hours in each and every day.”