“I broke out into a cold sweat and I was writhing around in incredible pain.”
~ Tim Koenig, grateful patient.
It was Good Friday of Easter Weekend and Tim Koenig was looking forward to celebrating with family when he suddenly started to experience a shooting pain in his arm.
“It really hurt,” recalls Tim, who was only 55 at the time. “At first I thought I must have pulled a muscle or something. I stretched my arm and it went away a bit. But 15 minutes later it came back in my arm and my chest started to hurt as well. I broke out into a cold sweat and I was writhing around in incredible pain.”
"I knew I was having a heart attack but was in denial which is quite a powerful thing. I even "Googled" the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and I had them all so I asked my neighbour to take me to Stevenson Memorial Hospital."
“As soon as I arrived, I immediately told the nurse, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack’ and within minutes I was rushed to a room and hooked up to machines. They administered nitroglycerine and did a blood test. At first my doctor thought it might be an anxiety attack, but after further tests and monitoring, he told me I wasn’t going anywhere. He was 90% sure I’d had a heart attack, which tests later confirmed to be true.
Tim spent the next six days in hospital. During that time, he was temporarily transferred to Southlake for an angiogram and then taken back to Stevenson for further care before being released on April 4.
“I couldn’t believe it when they told me I had a heart attack,” recalls Tim “I was devastated. A few tears were shed for sure. And it just so happens that my wife Pauline was visiting the grandkids in Edmonton at the time, so having her rush back to be with me was stressful as well.”
“The day after I was released, I wrote into the hospital to let them know just how grateful I am to the doctors, nurses and staff at Stevenson Memorial Hospital for their quality of care” says Tim, who is doing well today and currently participating in the cardiac rehab program at SMH for follow up care.
“The nurses were fantastic and considering all they were dealing with (I could hear some of it), I am in awe of them. Their friendliness, empathy and professionalism were unbelievable. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. They truly deserve all the recognition they can get!”
“Over the years, our family has faced some difficult medical challenges, including when I was involved in a very serious car accident in March 2015, but Stevenson has always been there for us,” says Tim. “I’m truly grateful for the care I received and looking forward to many more holidays with Pauline, our three kids and grandkids.”
Thank you for making incredible stories like Tim’s possible. Your support is changing and saving patients’ lives.
