The Eastern Maine Medical Center Heart Center in Bangor will celebrate its third anniversary Friday, an event made even more exciting for the heart center team when the 1,000th cardiac surgery patient went home this week.

Barbara Elliott, 67, underwent a quadruple coronary bypass on Wednesday, July 18, as the 1,000th patient for the heart center team. She was released Wednesday afternoon and, with her husband, Bill, returned home to Millinocket. On hand to wish Barbara well were members of the Cardiac Surgery Unit nursing staff, the cardiac surgery team, Cardiac Rehab and others from EMMC.

Dr. Robert A. Clough was Mrs. Elliott’s surgeon and noted that “she’s done very well, no problems.”

Since the heart center opening in 1987, Dr. Clough and Dr. Felix Hernandez have performed more than 1,000 cardiac operations, as well as more than 400 angioplasty and heart catheterization procedures.

The EMMC Heart Center was made possible by more than 5,000 donations from school children, community members and corporations throughout the state.

Although many never expected to reach 1,000 patients in just three years, Dr. Clough is not surprised. The need for a specialized heart unit “closer to home” was overwhelming for eastern Mainers who, up until the center’s opening, had to travel to Portland.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without EMMC so close,” said Mrs. Elliott.

Bill Elliott also has been a patient at the EMMC Heart Center. Last September, Elliott was admitted for angioplasty surgery and was pleased with the care and concern from the Cardiac Care Unit nursing staff and physicians. Mrs. Elliott agreed and thanked the nursing staff of the Cardiac Surgery Unit, Grant 4W Cardiac Unit, and Cardiac Rehab “who kept me reassured during my recovery.”