February is American Heart Month, and our KNX Hero of the Week, Michelle Galanti, has dedicated her career to making sure our community has lots of happy, healthy hearts!
Michelle is an exercise physiologist and the Director of Cardiology, Transportation, Patient Experience & Volunteer Services at Glendale Memorial Hospital.
“Under cardiology, I am in charge of EKG, the electrocardiography department, the echocardiology department, and the cardiac fitness department,” she told Heroes host Heather Jordan.
She started working at Glendale Memorial as an EKG tech at 17 years old, following in her late father's footsteps, cardiologist Dr. Richard Allen.
“I grew up watching him as a physician, and he was always so inspirational,” she said. “I wanted to be able to help people. I wanted to have the knowledge base to do that, and watching my dad being able to take care of anybody at any time. So, you know, watching my brother's little league or coming upon an accident and he steps out of the car and has my mother take the rest of us home while he stays behind to work on saving lives, and it was very inspirational and I thought this is what I want to do. I want to be able to be of service to people when they need it.”
Michelle says her late father still motivates her, as does her family.
“He's here in these halls with me and really living my life in a way that would make him proud has always been my mission and my goal, and to make my husband proud of having me as a wife and to make my kids proud of me,” she said. “I am blessed with four children and nine grandchildren and if I'm able to show them that you find something that you truly love and you put the effort and time into it and you give back to others, that you get so much more in response to what you give, it really feeds your soul.”
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