Page 30 - St. John's Healthcare Foundation FY17 Annual Report

Human connections Emergency Room St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital Human connections in caring for others
and St. John’s Regional Medical Center

in caring for others Grateful Patient – Donor Story

Who would have thought that the morning of October 19, 2016 would change my I recently attended St. John’s Healthcare Foundation’s fundraising gala where I met
life? After running errands, I arrived home with what I thought was heartburn. physicians and donors, as well as patients, who like myself feel profound gratitude for
Not giving it much thought, I took antacids and jumped in the shower. When the the care they received at St. John’s Hospitals. I consider myself forever in their debt
discomfort in my chest returned, I was alarmed and made the best decision of my and am committed to preserving and building this resource for our community.
life – and drove myself immediately to St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital emergency Tom – Camarillo, CA.
Human connections in caring for others
room, where I was immediately examined and hooked up to an EKG machine.
Within minutes I was informed that I was having a heart attack. With organized
urgency, the medical team stabilized me and prepared me for transport. Meanwhile,
the emergency room nurse stayed by my side, explaining what they were doing and
calming my concerns. When I arrived at St. John’s Regional Medical Center by
ambulance, a specialized surgical team was already in place in the operating room.
The cardiologist quickly explained what needed to be done, and directly proceeded to
install stints in two severely blocked arteries.

I later learned that minutes make the difference between life and death in heart
attacks. In my case, the medical professionals at both hospitals operated like clockwork
to deliver brilliantly orchestrated medical care that saved precious time. I was
impressed to learn that from the early stages of my admission to the emergency room,
the cardiologist had been monitoring my condition, wasting no time in assessing the
situation. There is no doubt that I was destined to have this heart attack. I believe that
it is a blessing that it occurred when it did. I had recently moved back to Camarillo to
be close to my family, which providentially placed me near two world-class hospitals.
While the expert medical care that I received saved my life, the human touch of caring
staff inspired me with confidence at a most vulnerable time.

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