For Jim Brown, life has always been full, filled with a rewarding career, a loving family, and the game of golf. A former executive with a 27-year career at IBM and leadership roles at companies such as Viacom and American Tape Company, he now proudly serves as a Chaplain for the Chiefs of Police Association in New York. Jim has always balanced his professional achievements with personal joy, playing golf six days a week, twelve months a year, and traveling south in the winter just to keep his swing in shape.
But everything changed in 2013.
An Unrelenting Pain with No Clear Cause
Jim began experiencing crippling abdominal pain so severe that it would stop him in his tracks. At times, the only relief came from hospital-administered Morphine or Dilaudid. “It would hit hard and fast,” Jim recalls. “There were nights my wife and I couldn’t sleep at all.”
After years of searching for answers and seeing countless specialists, Jim was finally diagnosed with Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS). The open surgery that followed was extensive, so invasive that Jim spent more than a month recovering in the hospital. But even after all of that, the pain persisted, intensifying 20–30 minutes after eating and especially at night. Jim became fearful of eating and unintentionally lost weight as a result.
For years, Jim tried everything: new doctors, pain management therapies, even prescription opioids. But nothing truly worked. “It was a dark season,” he admits, “one that tested my strength, my faith, and the endurance of my family.”
A Turning Point
It wasn’t until his primary care physician, Dr. Bal, referred him to Dr. Naiem Nassiri at The Vascular Care Group in Darien, CT, that Jim felt a renewed sense of hope. “From the very first meeting, Dr. Nassiri inspired confidence,” Jim says. “He had answers to questions I hadn’t even asked yet.”
An ultrasound revealed chronic mesenteric ischemia, a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the intestines. This condition can lead to tissue damage and explained Jim’s persistent abdominal pain.
On October 7, 2025, Dr. Nassiri performed an outpatient vascular procedure that would change Jim’s life. Jim underwent an angiogram during which Dr. Nassiri used a tiny ultrasound catheter called an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to examine the inside of his blood vessels. Blockages were confirmed in both the celiac trunk, a major artery supplying the digestive tract, and the superior mesenteric artery. Dr. Nassiri performed an angioplasty and placed a stent in each artery to restore proper blood flow.
In just three hours, years of chronic suffering suddenly came to an end.
Immediate Relief and a Fresh Start
“The change was immediate,” Jim recalls. “By the time I reached the recovery room, I felt different, better.” When his wife and daughter came to see him, they were stunned. “They didn’t see the man who had walked into the office that morning, burdened by pain; they saw someone standing tall and smiling.”
For the first time in more than a decade, Jim was pain-free. The sleepless nights, the hospital stays, and the reliance on powerful medications were finally behind him. One of his first acts after the procedure? Disposing of every remaining Oxycodone pill. “It was symbolic,” he says. “A way to close a painful chapter of my life.”
A Grateful Heart and a Renewed Life
Jim credits Dr. Nassiri and The Vascular Care Group team not only for their clinical skill, but for the care, compassion, and clarity Dr. Nassiri brought to the entire experience. “This healing was more than medical; it was a blessing,” Jim shares. “I’m grateful to Dr. Nassiri, to Dr. Bal for guiding me to him, to my wife and family for their unwavering support, and to God for carrying me through the darkest valleys.”
Today, Jim is back to living a life of purpose, enjoying time with his wife, daughters, and six grandchildren, and returning to the golf course with a renewed sense of freedom.
Jim’s message is clear:
“Even after years of suffering, healing is possible. Don’t give up. There are people who can help.”
Real Relief. Real Results. Right Here.
At The Vascular Care Group, our mission is simple: to help patients move beyond the limitations of vascular conditions with the specialized care they need, delivered close to home. Our outpatient centers are thoughtfully designed to provide advanced treatment in a setting that’s comfortable, efficient, and centered around your needs.
Whether you’re experiencing leg pain, swelling, or more complex vascular symptoms like Jim’s, you don’t have to push through discomfort or wait for things to worsen. Our board-certified vascular specialists are here to provide the answers and the relief you’ve been looking for.
You deserve to feel like yourself again. Let’s take that next step, together.