How can we help you?

October was an exciting month for Debbie Hartung. She started a new job at the nursing home in Velva and was looking forward to the start of a new chapter in her life. Just as quick as this new chapter began, things changed and a bump in the road began to surface.

“I called my husband Jason during my lunch break to tell him what I thought of the job so far. The minute I hung up the phone, I felt chest pain,” Hartung said. The week before, Debbie felt similar chest pain and ended up going to the fire department to have her heart monitored, which did not show any concerns at that time.

Still worried about the chest pain, Debbie called her doctor after the visit to the fire department. Her doctor advised her to take a blood pressure pill to see if it helps. The pill made the pain go away, so Debbie didn’t think about it until she experienced chest pain again on the first day of her new job.

“After hanging up the phone on my lunch break, I called my husband back immediately and asked him to bring me a blood pressure pill. He said to stay on the phone and that he would be there in a few minutes. As soon as he said that I told him I had to call 911 because the pain was getting worse,” Hartung said.

By the time Jason drove from Sawyer to Velva, Debbie was still sitting in her car as the pain and symptoms worsened. She couldn’t lift her head off the steering wheel, her arms and legs were going numb, she was dry heaving and having pain right in the center of her chest.

Shortly after, an ambulance arrived and transported Debbie to Trinity Health Hospital in Minot.

Upon arrival to Trinity Health Hospital, Debbie doesn’t remember much besides waking up and seeing Samir Turk, MD, Cardiologist at Trinity Health, and a heart on a big monitor. She asked, “Is that my heart on the monitor?” to which Dr. Turk replied, “Yes, and you are very lucky to be seeing that.”

She added, “They lost my pulse, I was completely gray, and all my extremities went numb. If my fingernails were purple, they would have done open heart surgery, but since they weren’t and since I had enough oxygen to keep my brain alive, they opted for a heart stent procedure.”

It turns out that it was not just any heart attack that Debbie had, but it was a widowmaker heart attack. It gets its name because of the severity of the heart attack when there is blockage in the biggest artery in your heart. It is immediately life-threatening.

Initially, Debbie did not realize what happened after waking up or how bad the heart attack was. After she came to her senses and talked with Dr. Turk, she began calling her children and loved ones right away to let them know what happened.

The first day after the surgery marked the beginning of Debbie’s remarkable recovery as she was able to get out of bed and walk around the halls at Trinity Health Hospital. She was there for just three days before she was able to head home and return to the life she knew.

Since returning home, the remarkable recovery has continued. Today, Debbie is back to work full-time at the nursing home and has been able to incorporate exercise into her weekly routine. Although she can’t exercise as much as she used to, she is just happy being able to do the things she enjoys again.

“I was a little sore when I first came home, but I had energy and would not have guessed that I had the widowmaker heart attack and lived through it,” Hartung said.

She added, “I have a feeling that if the heart attack didn’t happen on that day and if it wasn’t for Dr. Turk, I wouldn’t be here right now. I fully believe that Dr. Turk saved my life.”

Though surviving a widowmaker heart attack was a harrowing experience, it has marked the beginning of another new chapter for Debbie. One where her story and her experience can inspire others to take preventive steps and to understand the importance of heart health.