Luzerne county woman saved through cardiac care program

Time means heart muscle when you’re in the midst of a heart attack, something McAdoo resident June Galade learned quickly. “A few days prior to my heart attack, I was experiencing some jaw pain. I ignored it and figured it had something to do with my sinuses. In a couple of days I was feeling like myself again. Then one morning when my husband went to the store, I started to experience some pain in my chest and had trouble breathing. I figured I would lie down, and it would pass. Soon I was having numbness, the pain in my jaw was back, and I broke out into uncontrollable sweats. The symptoms came on so quickly,” said June.

Despite feeling she was having a heart attack, June debated whether or not to call 911. “I started to call twice and hung up. I was afraid it wasn’t anything serious, and I would look foolish. After about 10 minutes, I followed my instincts and called for help,” said June. The third call was a charm; the McAdoo emergency medical services personnel and the American Patient Transport System (APTS) paramedics arrived within minutes.

June was immediately rushed to Hazleton General Hospital where she became a patient of the MI Alert Program, a high-quality cardiac care program that was co-developed with Lehigh Valley Health Network to provide local residents with optimal results in cardiac emergencies. Local EMS personnel, paramedics, emergency department physicians, nurses, and technicians at Hazleton General, and Lehigh Valley physicians and caregivers are specially trained to quickly assess, diagnose, and treat patients within 90 minutes or less of emergency arrival time.

On the way to the hospital, the EMS team was faced with the reality that June may not make it. “I kept telling them I was so tired and just wanted to close my eyes. They were doing everything to keep me awake and alert, but I closed my eyes and went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance. The paramedics acted quickly, providing life-saving treatment to stabilize my condition,” said June.

Within 15 minutes of arrival at Hazleton General Hospital’s Emergency Department, June was flown via the MedEvac helicopter to Lehigh Valley where the cardiac catheterization team was awaiting her arrival to perform advanced treatment. “This is a true example of teamwork at its finest. June’s situation went from basic life support to advanced life support in the flash of an eye. In my career as an EMS liaison and flight paramedic for Lehigh Valley Health Network, the focus is getting the patient to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab to open the vessel up quickly and save the person’s life. But if everyone didn’t do his/her job perfectly when June went into cardiac arrest, we never would have even made it to Lehigh Valley. From start to finish, June was assessed, diagnosed, and treated within 51 minutes—an MI Alert record. Her case is a testament of teamwork and an example of what the MI Alert Program does best—saves lives,” said Daniel Rymond, EMS Liaison and flight paramedic.

In addition to the quality care June received, she and her family were also kept informed every step of the way regarding her personal situation. “The entire time I was in the care of the EMS personnel, paramedics, Hazleton General Hospital, and Lehigh Valley, I was kept informed as to my situation and what they were doing to help me. My husband and daughter, who had to drive up separately, were also kept informed during their trip,” said June.

While June’s husband, Fred, commented that this was the scariest experience of his life, he credits the MI Alert Program for saving his wife’s life. “Everything was so well coordinated by so many people. How ironic that I’m the one with the heart problems, and she’s the one who suffers from a heart attack. I guess you just never know, but we’re fortunate she received the care she did. We’ve been married almost 42 years. We do everything together, and I can’t imagine my life without her,” said Fred.

Although June will spend the rest of her life on medication, she’s living everyday to its fullest because of the life-saving treatment she received through the MI Alert Program. “If I could give anyone any piece of advice it would be to act quickly; don’t think you’re going to look foolish by calling for help. If I didn’t go through with that third phone call, I wouldn’t be here today. Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to make that call,” said June.

The MI Alert Program makes it possible for a smaller community hospital like Hazleton General Hospital to provide area residents access to advanced treatments found in larger acute-care centers. Testimonials like June’s tug at your heartstrings and provide the community with something very special—hope. Hope that in a cardiac emergency, your local EMS team, paramedics, and hospital are prepared to provide quality treatment with positive outcomes.