My Sister Had a Heart Attack

My sister is a nurse at Methodist Hospital in Germantown, TN, a suburb of Memphis. She takes care of newborns and she is one fantastic nurse. Last week she was at the hospital doing some paperwork when she started experiencing some tightness in her chest. An observant doctor overheard her complaints and started asking a few questions. This doc had known my sister for over 20 years and also knew to take women's heart complaints seriously.  In a moment the doctor told my sister that she was on her way to the ER.  Judy resisted and then the doc told her that she had watched a 53 year old fellow physician drop dead of a heart attack in another hospital the previous week and she was in no mood to argue with Judy. That ended the discussion. The doctor probably saved my sister's life.  I can't tell you how many women with heart disease have told me their nightmares about struggling to get a correct diagnosis.  My 59 year old sister had one severe blockage. She missed out on the by-pass surgery that my brother and I both enjoyed. One stent and she was good to go.  Earl Corum, our father,  had by-pass surgery in 1979 at the age of 69, and now each one of his three children has had a major cardiac event. My prayer is that my sister will use this tough life experience to make some lifestyle changes. She knows she needs to, but we all know it's still tough to change life long habits. Having heart disease in your family is a bummer, but my brother, my sister, and myself have really gotten closer in the last few days. We are now officially fighting the same battle, and I think we are going to come out on top.