Celebrating a lifesaving response by Beebe Healthcare’s Cardiac Care Team
 

My husband Jeffrey Rosen arrived Dec. 5 at Beebe Healthcare’s Emergency Department in Lewes. Although he was telling the clerk at the desk that he had a pill stuck down his throat, I was yelling that he had chest pain. Immediately they took him into the inner sanctum; I parked the car and came back as fast as I could.

It didn’t take long before the nurse came to get me, and the chaplain arrived. Jeffrey was having a heart attack and was going into the Cardiac Cath Lab. The chaplain advised me that I had about 30-45 minutes before the procedure would be complete, so I went home to get some things. Our home is only about eight minutes away.

When I returned, the receptionist had my name tag ready and waiting for me. Minutes after I arrived in a waiting room, Jeffrey was wheeled out of the Cardiac Cath Lab looking shaken but comfortable. In just 90 minutes, give or take, Jeffrey was assessed, prepped, the team was assembled, and the procedure performed to place a stent to relieve a 99% blockage and save his life.

Everything was aligned to save my husband from his life-threatening heart attack. We arrived at the hospital while he was in the midst of the heart attack, and Dr. Ehtasham Qureshi was already in the hospital. The team was assembled with incredible speed, and Jeffrey lived to tell the tale. We cannot express enough gratitude to Dr. Qureshi and the team that oversaw the acute phase of his care.

But the story does not end there. Once he was wheeled out of the cath lab, Jeffrey was taken to the ICU where Bree Wilkins, RN, took incredible care of him. Once Bree’s shift was complete, Nicole Pettyjohn, RN, took over and lifted Jeffrey’s spirits as well as taking good care of him. On Monday, Marijn Huisman, RN, took care of Jeffrey, and finally his Monday night nurse, Mattie Fulton, RN, cared for him. Our gratitude knows no depth.

Again, the story does not end there. I stayed by Jeffrey’s side as much as I could, following the rules about visiting. I ate at the cafeteria several times, and the food servers and cashiers were all kind and attentive. People throughout the hospital directed me when I was lost and made room for me in the elevator, all with a warmth that I will always remember.

Throughout Jeffrey’s stay, no one asked for his insurance information. I knew that would be coming before he left, so on Tuesday morning, Dec. 7, the day of his discharge, I went in search of the right place. I thought I found it, but a tall young man who must have intuited that I was in the wrong place came up and asked what I was looking for. I told him about my mission, and he brought me to the admissions office. The young woman there not only processed the insurance but took the time to tape my husband’s secondary medical card together because it had been cut in anticipation of using the new one we had received but couldn’t use until the new year.

I returned to thank the young man who had gone out of his way to help me find the right place. Brent Beckett was at his station doing his security job. Although it wasn’t part of his regular job duties, he noticed I was in search of something and went out of his way to assist me. What a special place Beebe Healthcare is!

Our appreciation knows no bounds. Because of the rapid and highly professional response of Dr. Ehtasham Qureshi and Beebe’s Cardiovascular Care team, Jeffrey’s life was saved, and he sustained no muscle damage to his heart. We are forever grateful to everyone at Beebe who contributed to this favorable outcome.