When Seconds Counted,
life-saving heart care was here
Saturday, March 27, was an unusually
Northwest Georgia. The buds on the
dogwoods and azaleas were beginning
and wife Debbie were busy planning
for their church’s upcoming Easter
services and a family Easter gathering.
Ryan had not been feeling well. He
had experienced stomach pain and
result of a stomach bug. With Easter
almost here, he remained focused
Sunday service at his church.
On the previous day, Friday, March
26, Ryan had felt pain in his shoulder
to a stomach virus. Saturday came,
wife Debbie to their church to help
a restaurant for lunch, but once they
arrived, they were told there would be
and Debbie decided to postpone lunch
and go to the mall to shop for Easter
pain in his shoulders again. The pain
to the car to head home. Debbie
wanted to drive, but Ryan, always
the gentleman, insisted on driving
them home. As he was driving, Ryan’s
pain began to move into his chest.
or stand upright. Realizing that the
ambulance, and Ryan was immediately
Written by: Jane Snipes,
Once Ryan arrived in Hamilton’s
Ryan remembers the emergency
Debbie to pray for him as they moved
from the emergency room to the cath
lab. Ryan recalls being placed on the
the last thing he would remember for
the next three days.
Debbie vividly remembers the moment
emerged from the cath lab to tell her
to hear this news,” said Debbie.
Debbie pulled herself together so that
He is going to perform one on you
Ryan and he FaceTimed with his mom
as they were rushing to get him ready
for surgery. They told me that Dr.
Richard Morrison, the cardiac surgeon,
surreal.”
room team, Dr. Morrison informed
induced thrombosis. The thrombosis
machine and have immediate surgery.
Dr. Morrison reassured Debbie that
Ryan and that he would touch base as
soon as he could. At that point, Debbie
was relieved that family had arrived to
be. One of the nurses came to sit with
our family, and as he sat with us, it
family. During surgery, another nurse
came to update me and said that
everything
was going
well. I felt a
calm come
over me.
When the
surgery was
complete, Dr.
Morrison came to see us and gave us
gentle, and loving manner, gave me
As I assimilated what was happening,
I learned that Ryan would be placed
care following surgery. It was now
the middle of the night, and the
Burse, RN, came to see me. She had
rushed to the hospital to assist with
he was both a COVID and heart
Ryan’s specialized needs. Her tender
.
were their .”