Matt Sawyer
On May 8, I was helping at the Christian school next door to my house. The water fountain in the cafeteria had started leaking and flooded the cafeteria floor. After cleaning up all the water, the administration ordered some breakfast sandwiches for all those who had helped. I ate part of a sandwich and then went upstairs to get a student who had helped. As I reached up to knock on the door, it was as if someone had flipped a light switch, and I was instantly sick to my stomach. I thought that I had eaten a bad breakfast sandwich and had instant food poisoning. I went over in the classroom across the hall (which was empty) and hugged a trashcan for about 5 minutes. I was sweating profusely and realized that I needed to call my wife to take me to the emergency room. My wife was there in about 3-4 minutes and after getting a student to help me down the stairs and in the truck, we headed to Frankfort Regional Medical Center (FRMC). When we left the school, I did not realize I was having a heart attack but about three fourths of the way to the hospital I realized that was what was taking place.
We pulled into the emergency room entrance and at that point I told my wife that I was having a heart attack, and she went inside the emergency room to get help. The staff at Frankfort immediately took me back to a room and began to prepare me for the cath lab. Within 30 minutes of arriving at the hospital, I was prepped, taken to the cath lab and had a stent placed to open the 100% blockage that had caused my heart attack. It was amazing how fast the FRMC staff were able to get me in to the cath lab and have the stent placed.
After leaving the cath lab, I spent the rest of that day in the ICU and then Thursday afternoon I was taken to a step-up room where I was still being monitored. Friday morning, we were expecting to be discharged - either later that day or the next day. All our plans changed when I experienced ventricular fibrillation. My heart stopped and I blacked out. My wife started shaking me, and I come to, not realizing exactly what is going on. In about 3 minutes, I have the same event, in which I black out and this time my wife cannot revive me. She goes out into the hall to get help, and thankfully the cardiologist is standing there and came in to revive me. He immediately says that I am going to be moved back to ICU and air lifted to UofL/Jewish Hospital. At that point, I was moved back to ICU where I had a third heart event with my heart stopping. The life flight helicopter arrived quickly, and I was flown to UofL/Jewish Hospital, where I would go on to have a pacemaker/defibrillator put in and then triple bypass surgery.
When I look back at the story of my heart attack and surgeries, I can see how God used people every step of the way to provide the care that I needed at the time that I needed it and that included the doctors and staff at FRMC. I am thankful for the care I received at FRMC. From the moment I arrived until I was transferred to Louisville, the doctors, nurses and staff provided the level of care that helped save my life. They did it in a professional and caring matter. They were serious when they needed to be, but they also knew how to lighten the mood in a very tense situation. Because of their care, I have been able to share in family birthday parties, vacations, and other events.
I am reminded of friends and family who have made such a difference and continue to do so because of the care and concern that I received at FRMC. Sometimes your recovery does not go as fast or as smoothly as you would like it to. During those times, my wife and I remind ourselves that we are just thankful that we have these days that could have easily have been lost. Thank you FRMC for your part in extending those days!
