In September 2023, on the Sunday night before Labor Day, Robert Reynolds woke up with a strange sensation. A sudden squeezing pain moved up his chest and settled into the base of his spine. He jumped out of bed and…
With Damar Hamlin’s frightening collapse and heart stoppage on the field Jan. 2 during the Monday Night Football game and Lisa Marie Presley’s untimely death Jan. 12 from cardiac arrest at the age of 54, the topic of heart health…
For two weeks, Erica Smith struggled with chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness. Her immediate family medical history includes those who died of cardiac arrest. But she put off going to the Emergency Department (ED) for two simple reasons:…
Lincoln’s Roger Marten, 70, had just returned home from a Saturday breakfast with family when he felt sick to his stomach, like he was catching the stomach flu. When the left side of his face started to hurt, he told…
Tony Smarjesse wasn’t planning on having a heart attack when he got to work last November. The 56-year-old worked out a couple times a week, followed a fairly healthy diet and was on low dose statins to control his high…
Jodie Tate may not seem like your typical cardiac rehab patient at Passavant Area Hospital (PAH), but the 43-year-old Virginia native appreciates the confidence booster after suffering a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) last November. Seemingly healthy women in their…
For many patients, rehab can help with recovery from a stroke, heart attack or other serious health conditions. Few, however, are as dedicated to maintaining their health as 85-year-old Chet Gilbert. In late February, Chet marked his 1,000th cardiac rehab…
Sean Lynch didn’t think anything was seriously wrong the afternoon of his massive heart attack. The 50-year-old local radio personality was setting up a pre-party at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the band Foghat. He started to feel overheated, which…
Ruthetta Getchel and her husband, Jack, were a day away from embarking on a trip to Minnesota in July 2014 when Ruthetta awoke in the middle of the night experiencing severe back pain and profuse sweating. Jack quickly drove Ruthetta…
The possibility that she might be having a heart attack only briefly crossed Becky Griffith’s mind. She was, after all, only 40 years old. Last November, the mother of two began to feel severely fatigued and short of breath. While…