Azzolina, who owns a chain of Foodtown supermarkets in Central Jersey, kept the surgery a secret, not wanting his 1,200 employees to know until after the operation and he was on the road to recovery.

It was not easy keeping his operation a secret. He said he saw some of his employees at the hospital, while others in the hospital recognized him, saying, "What are you doing here, Assemblyman?"

He said he told them, "This'll be our little secret, okay?"

The operation was a success and the assemblyman is now going through rehabilitation at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank.

In an interview with the media April 21 at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, his team of doctors who gave the legislator a new lease on life surrounded Azzolina.

"We performed three by-passes around Joe's heart, which was not damaged," disclosed Dr. Richard Neibart, chief of cardiac surgery at Shore Medical Center. "This man made an amazing recovery. I hope I live to be your age," he told the retired Navy captain who fought in World War II and the Korean War.

Azzolina shook the hands of Drs. Neibart and Joseph Clemente, his cardiologist, and with a grateful smile, said: "You gave me a new life."

(l-r) Joseph Clemente, M.D., cardiologist at Riverview Medical Center; Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina; Richard Neibart, M.D., chief of Cardiac Surgery, Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Since 1966, Azzolina has served in the State Legislature as an Assemblyman and State Senator, winning some elections, losing some, and now entering his fifth decade as a lawmaker. His has spent 22 years in all in the legislative chambers.

Ironically, it was at the Jersey Shore Medical Center where Azzolina experienced his first signs of chest pains last year this time. The doctors were launching a "walk out" over the medical malpractice insurance crisis. Azzolina was invited to speak as a leading legislator on health care issues.

"I was walking across the parking lot and felt these pains in my chest," Azzolina recalled. "My internist ordered me to have a cauterization, where they send dye through your arteries to determine if you have any blockages."

Dr. Neibart then performed an angioplasty to open an artery and inserted a stent to allow more blood to flow to the heart.

"They've kept me alive for more than a year," Azzolina beamed. "I feel great now. For the next few months I'll be at Riverview Medical Center doing my exercises on the treadmill, the rowing machines, and weights. My regimen is going to be exercises and diet. That's what keeps you going. Besides, this daily routine is good for you anyway."

The heart operation took three hours. Five days later, Azzolina went home, staying with his son, John, a vice president of Foodtown.

"I played with John's 6-year-old daughter at their house, throwing a ball back and forth as I slowly healed," Azzolina said. "I look back and see that I've had several lives - in the military, business, politics, and, most importantly, family. It's been a great life, with another new life just starting again."

Azzolina praised the doctors and hospitals that have taken care of him over the past month.

"You don't have to go to doctors or hospitals in New York City to get the best treatment for major surgery," Azzolina said. "We've got the best doctors and hospitals right here in our own backyard." Azzolina represents the 13th Legislative District in Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

Looking at the future, Azzolina announced he will back in the Legislature in the last week of April for one of his many Assembly committee meetings.

"I cannot praise our medical community enough for the wonderful work they do here," Azzolina said, singling out Jersey Shore Medical Center, which is rated the best heart surgery center with a success rate of 98 percent.

"It doesn't get any better than that," he said. "I had the best team taking care of me, from the doctors and nurses to the aides and assistants. I had no stress. It was a restful and heartening experience," he punned.