As a recent patient at MMC who had been experiencing recent chest pain, and was admitted for observation overnight with a nuclear stress test planned in the morning, I was not very concerned.
All that changed in the early morning hours, however, when I felt the return of my chest pain. Lucky for me, my nurse Will, who I had met as I was being admitted and had watched over me during the night, came into my room and asked if I was having an event. I said yes, but it was subsiding. He immediately went to get the EKG machine, hooked me up and told me he was going to monitor me for a bit to see if my chest pain returned. Within five minutes, it was back and this time I was having a heart attack. Will immediately contacted the appropriate resources. In a matter of minutes, doctors were in my room explaining I was having a heart attack and the nuclear test was being cancelled. I needed a heart Cath immediately to determine the next steps.
Will never left my side, even though his shift was ending. He went with me to the Cath Lab and assured me that I was in good hands and everything would work out.
I believe that because of his quick thinking and compassionate and caring nature, I am alive today. MMC is very fortunate to have such a professional, dedicated nurse as Will; he is a role model for others. The result of my heart Cath was that one of my previous bypasses failed and again, without Will's quick thinking, I truly believe I would not be here today.