Leaders at the Parkview Heart Institute recently received a letter from Caitlyn McCord, provider recruitment sourcing and support specialist, Parkview Physicians Group, regarding her father, Dave Nixon. The family was kind enough to let us share their story.

I wanted to reach out to all of you with a huge thank you. Last week, my family experienced a very scary situation. My dad, at age 59, suffered a substantial heart attack.

From the time he was life-flighted from a nearby hospital, we just prayed. We had no clue what would be in store for him when he arrived at Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC). We were so grateful to learn that, as soon as he landed in Fort Wayne, your team got him into the cath lab at the Parkview Heart Institute immediately.

As if this situation was not scary enough, given the visitor restrictions in place because of COVID, we realized that we couldn’t be there with him and that we would have to rely on phone correspondence with physicians and nurses, and trust that he was in good hands. My mom was so relieved to receive the phone call from Dr. Eric White, and said that he was so comforting and kind. Additionally, I believe it was Dr. Dustin Thomas, who was rounding to see my dad when he was in the ICU for a couple of days. I so appreciate everything your team did to ensure that my dad received excellent care.

In talking with him, he said that the pain was so unbearable. He truly did not know if this was the end of his life or what was happening, but he knew he never wanted to experience a pain like that again, and this is a man who has a pretty high pain tolerance and has experienced a couple of pretty painful injuries in his life. As soon as he made it to the cath lab, he said a prayer for all involved and just had so much on his mind. He felt overwhelmed by the care that he received and was just praying that there was hope for a good result.

I listened to everything he had to tell me about his experience, and I will say that neither him nor I had a dry eye. I was getting married at the end of the month, and to have all of this happen so close to a big celebration like that was like seeing everything flash before my eyes. I wanted more than anything for my dad to be able to attend my wedding and to be with me, my mom and my 11-year-old brother for many more years to come.

So truly, I thank you and your entire team for all that you did to save my dad’s life. I just wanted you to know how grateful and thankful I am, and I think you all deserve the recognition and to know how you impacted our lives.

Writer’s note: We asked for an update on Dave’s health, and Caitlyn reports he is doing well. He has adjusted his diet and is trying to take care of himself as best as possible. Caitlyn says they feel blessed that he was able to walk her down the aisle not only once, but twice. (Because of COVID-19, she had a small wedding in May on their original date and then a big celebration on August 1.) “We appreciate the level of care that Parkview provided and when these unfortunate things happen, we know where we want to go to receive care.”

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