Stories about Chest Pain
Chest pain can often be called angina. Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused when your heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. It may feel like pressure or tightness in your chest. The discomfort also can occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina pain may even feel like indigestion.
Marlo Purnell
I had pain in my collarbone and a very heavy feeling in my chest like nothing I have ever felt before. I went to the local ER and found out that I had a heart attack at only 50 years of age! I was transferred to a different hospital, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s (it was a […]
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Victoria Weibel
I was driving with my husband when I had a fatal heart attack. He grabbed the wheel and was able to bring us to a stop. A lady on scene performed CPR and brought me back. Paramedics then took me to Prairie Heart Institute. That was the luckiest day of my life. Dr. Jeff Christy […]
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Steve Pace
When Steve Pace collapsed on the floor, his wife Carmen dialed 9-1-1 and immediately began chest compressions. She wasn’t certain she was using the proper technique, but doctors, nurses and first responders agree that her quick action saved Steve’s life, keeping him alive until the ambulance arrived. Inspired by the story of Carmen’s quick thinking, […]
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Terry Hart
Cardiac Catheterization, Chest Pain
I was at work one afternoon and felt a heaviness in my chest. I went into the clubhouse and my friend called 911. The paramedics were able to send my EKG directly to the team at Prairie Heart. I went straight to the cath lab and didn’t need to stop in the emergency room. They […]
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Theresa Thompson, RN, BSN
CABG, Cardiac Catheterization, Chest Pain
I lost my dad on Feb. 4, 2017, just 5 days shy of his 89th birthday. As a child I always saw my dad as invincible. He was my protector, my life coach, my hero!! As an adult, I realized he may not always be around but I knew as long as he walked this […]
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Gail Wolfe
CABG, Cardiac Catheterization, Chest Pain, Coronary Stent
I had my first heart attack at age 35 on Labor Day of 1978. I was taken to Decatur Memorial Hospital with very bad chest pain, but eventually sent to St. John’s in Springfield. Dr. Dove became my cardiologist at that time. He found several blockages and put in two stents. At the time, Dr. […]
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Steve Larson
Cardiac Catheterization, Chest Pain, Coronary Stent
After losing my wife and best friend, Paula of 34 years to pancreatic cancer, I continued my lifestyle as an avid runner. Running was the one thing that helped me find some needed relief from my grief. I started experiencing chest pain as I ran. It stopped me. I chalked the chest pain up to […]
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Cardiovascular conditions affect more Americans than any other disease in the United States. It takes bravery to fight heart disease, and having a community of support makes a world of difference.