Monmouth County Twin Brothers Pay It Forward to Local Hospital
May 04, 2023
For many, like Lambros R. Lambrou, a chiropractor based in Monmouth County, timing proves to be everything. In June 2022, Lambros spent time with Jereme Kokes, a good friend and Ocean University Medical Center Foundation trustee, to tour their local hospital and learn about all of its offerings.
During their time together, they also discussed plans for the new Dr. Robert H. and Mary Ellen Harris Heart & Vascular Center, which was nearing completion. That discussion would soon prove fateful.
Just four days later, Lambros called his mother to wish her a happy birthday. Unable to reach her, he called his father. His father answered and shared, in a sick, slow-tempered voice, that he was getting into an ambulance after suffering chest pain.
He knew just where to direct his father: Ocean’s emergency department.
Lambros, his mother and his identical twin brother and business partner, Dimitrios Lambrou, all rushed to the hospital, where they were notified that their father and husband was having a heart attack. In the cardiac catheterization lab, within 30 minutes of their arrival at Ocean, Arthur Okere, M.D., restored blood flow to the heart muscle through an angioplasty, inserting a stent to keep the arteries surrounding the heart open.
“The first stent did not take, but Dr. Okere was persistent,” says Lambros. “To go from door to balloon in that short of a time is unprecedented. We were shocked. Dr. Okere and his team saved our father’s life in that short of a time.”
Lambros shared with Dimitrios that he had toured the hospital just four days before. Together, grateful for the incredible care their father received, the brothers donated $100,000 to Ocean University Medical Center Foundation.
“My parents immigrated to the United States from Greece, and we grew up in a loving, hard working, value-centered home. Not only are we just so thankful for the care our father received, but this is also a testament to other families like ours. Everyone can make a huge difference through subtle acts of philanthropy in their local communities,” Lambros says.
The generous gift also acknowledges all of the administrators and office team members who handled their father’s follow-up calls. “From scheduling appointments to helping our father get the prescriptions he needed, every single team member at Ocean is a hero and they all deserve to be recognized,” says Lambros, who recently joined the foundation’s board of trustees.
Lambros and Dimitrios’ father recently celebrated his 78th birthday. Although their father’s summer was challenging—with recuperation being the priority and the inability to make his annual trip to Greece with his wife—he is doing much better today.
"We sincerely appreciate the generosity that Lambros and Dimitrios have shown,” says Matthew Lang, executive director of the Ocean University Medical Center Foundation. “These gifts help ensure that the hospital is best prepared to care for the community and are a wonderful tribute to the team."
Next Steps & Resources:
- Every gift helps. Donate today.
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