Letters to Dr. Bahr
Our founder, Dr. Raymond Bahr, receives lots of letters explaining how EHAC saved a life. Here he shares his favorite letters.
One Article Saved Many Lives
"I am writing in regard to the Article that appeared in Reader's Digest last year. It was entitled: He Declared War on Heart Attacks. I just wanted to let you know that it saved my husband's life.
I had read the article and discussed it with my husband when it first came out.We had both read such articles in the past,but it really hit home because it stressed the importance of what is done within that first hour and ended by charging others to be responsible for thoce too stubborn or embarrassed to heed the early warning signs. My husband's father had had several heart attacks and had considerable damage done to the heart because he did not seek help immediately. My husband and I agreed that it would be better to feel silly than to be dead.
The article came out in the February edition. On May 1, my husband called me at work to ask if we had any aspirin in the house. Now,the important thing to know here is that I am a teacher, and my husband NEVER calls me at work. I became immediately suspicious and asked him why he needed them. He said that he had been having some indigestion all morning and now was having terrible discomfort in his chest. I told him to call 911 and said that I was on my way home.
I grabbed two aspirins from our school nurse and ran to the car. I drove the three longest miles home, and when I got there I grabbed a glass of water as I came through the kitchen and gave my husband the aspirins while asking him if he had called 911. Of course, he said "no", he just had indigestion. I asked him if he could walk. He said yes. I told him that he could either go with me to the hospital or I would call 911, and he could pay for the ride. He agreed to go with me.
I rushed him to the hospital,and we were immediately taken to the emergency room. He was hooked up to a monitor and had been there no more than 10 minutes when the nurse told himthat his EKG looked good and his blood pressure was fine. I turned to fill out the insurance papers, heard a terrible sound as if someone was having a seizure and turned back around to find my husband going into cardiac arrest. The emergency team immediately set to work and within 10 minutes I was visiting with my husband who was joking with the doctor and was about to go up for a heart catheterization.
The catheterization showed a blockage of the main artery going into the left side of the heart. The doctor performed angioplasty and said that my husband was very lucky to be alive. He said that giving my husband the aspirin had given him an edge. He also said that heart damage was so minimal it could not be detected. How lucky we both were that the article had reached us.
Somehow your personal experience of having lost a friend hits home. And your crusade to prevent such losses gave me the nudge to ignore my husband's plea that he would be fine once the indigestion went away. I am also sure that MY STORY is not a lone one. Thank you so much,and keep sharing your message.
Sincerely,
LW in Ocala, FL"
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Deputy Heart Attack and EHAC, which are sponsored by ACC Accreditation Services (formerly Society of Patient Cardiovascular Patient Care) have created the materials you need to share with your community.