UMMC performs life-saving cardiac care when every second counts

UMMC performs life-saving cardiac care when every second counts

John and Mary Kathryn Decker with their children, John Walker, 5, and Archer, 16 months, at The Village of Madison where John has built several houses and has more underway.

As the owner of Bloom Construction, John Decker is rarely ever "off the clock." Deadlines, contracts and constant problem-solving come with the territory. But as he would soon learn, carrying that weight day after day can come at a cost.

What started as a normal evening became a race against time. Within hours, that stress would act as a catalyst for a sudden and life-threatening cardiac emergency.

It had been, by all accounts, an ordinary Thursday. The 41-year-old builder from Madison had spent the day visiting job sites, coordinating subcontractors and working through contracts.

By that evening, he was home with his wife, Mary Kathryn, and their five-year-old and 16-month-old sons, with one last errand to run before settling in for the night. Rather than stay behind, she and the boys went with him.

"It was just another day at work," Decker said. "I've definitely had worse days. I didn't have any signs or symptoms of anything being physically wrong."

The evening quickly became a fun family outing. They dined outside, enjoying the weather while the kids ran and played. Later, back home, the night ended with bath time, pajamas and finally getting the boys to sleep.

"When I laid down to go to sleep that night, I couldn't get comfortable," John said. "I wasn't really hurting; I just couldn't sleep."

Soon, a dull pressure began to build in his chest. He knew something didn't feel right, but he tried to rationalize it as anxiety.

"I got up and tried to do some breathing exercises, things that might alleviate stress, thinking that's what it was," he said. "But I couldn't shake it and it was progressively getting worse."

Mary Kathryn tried to help him get comfortable, placing cool rags on his back as he rested under a fan. But the pain wasn't letting up.

Knowing John's family has a history of heart disease, she was concerned that the problem could be his heart. When he mentioned that the pain had begun radiating to his jaw, she didn't hesitate.

"As soon as he told me the pain moved to his jaw, I knew we had to go to the hospital immediately," Mary Kathryn said.

"Even at that point, I was hesitant to go," John said. "Someone would have to come watch the boys and I didn't want to wake my parents or inconvenience anyone. But then I really thought about my kids and decided it was best to respond to something going on with my body."

By midnight, they arrived at UMMC Madison.

"There was no one in the ER, so we were almost immediately taken to triage," Mary Kathryn said. "Within seconds he was taken back."

The EKG confirmed her fears. "I started crying, and I mouthed to John, 'you're having a heart attack.'"

"I was in shock, so I had an extreme, almost unnatural calmness," John said. "You wouldn't think that would be the case. But I knew there was nothing I could do to control it at that point. It was up to God and the doctors."

The diagnosis was a ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI - the most dangerous type of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart.

With no ambulances available at the time, he was airlifted to the main UMMC campus in Jackson.

"The doctors and nurses told me that we absolutely could not wait any longer," Mary Kathryn said. "His heart muscle was dying."

He arrived just after 2 a.m., where Dr. William Campbell, director of the adult cardiac catheterization lab, was already waiting for him.

Campbell

"A STEMI is the most serious type of heart attack," Campbell said. "This usually occurs when a plaque in a coronary artery ruptures and results in complete occlusion of a coronary vessel. All the heart muscle downstream from that blockage doesn't get oxygenated blood and if not corrected quickly becomes irreversibly damaged."

Within moments, the on call cardiac catheterization team began a life-saving procedure to open the blocked artery and restore blood flow. A stent was successfully placed into the blocked artery using a catheter inserted trough an artery in his wrist.

"When Dr. Campbell told me the procedure was done, it was like an answered prayer," Mary Kathryn said. "He told me John had 100% blockage, and that if we had waited, he could have died."

"STEMIs are a medical emergency - and the most time-sensitive diagnosis we treat," Campbell said. "The faster we open a blocked coronary, the more heart muscle is saved and the better the long-term outcome."

Decker spent the next day and a half recovering in the cardiac intensive care unit, during a time when the hospital was navigating a systemwide cyberattack.

"This was all happening during the week of the cyberattack, but I didn't even think about that," John said. "Other than the fact that they were writing things down on paper, it was as if nothing was out of the ordinary. My care didn't stop.

"Everyone was so professional and knew what they were doing. They didn't miss a beat. It felt like I was staying in a 5-star hotel, except for the fact that I had a heart attack, of course."

"His care team was incredible. His nurses and everyone taking care of him were so kind and assuring. A dear friend's husband, Dr. Preston Bell, was assigned to our unit as our physician," Mary Kathryn said. "That was just another God wink with the comfort of a familiar face."

In the days since, the weight of what happened has begun to settle in.

A follow-up echocardiogram later revealed good news: John's heart function showed minimal lasting damage. Now, he is moving forward with a new perspective.

"There's a lot of things you think about every day that consume 90-95% of your mind," he said. "But when you're in that situation where you think you may not make it out, it really puts your priorities in perspective. What matters to me is my family - my wife and kids. Nothing else even comes close."

He's also more aware of how stress can take a physical toll, even when it feels manageable.

"Your body does keep a score. Your reactions to things that happen through the day, positive or negative, have an effect on your mental health and physiology.

"I would stress out and get worked up about things that, looking back, just seem so trivial," he said. "I realized while I was in the hospital that I could choose how I reacted to things. And I had been making all the wrong decisions."

John wants others to know their risk of heart disease and be proactive about managing their health.

Decker and his son, John Walker, looking at blueprints for The Village of Madison.

"People should know that 40 is not too young to have a heart attack," he said. "Just because you look a certain way or feel a certain way does not always mean you are safe. If you know something runs in your family, go get checked out. You need to know your risk. If I had been on statins sooner, this may have never even happened."

Now, as he returns to daily life, he's trying to maintain an outlook that prioritizes both his health and what matters most.

"I'm trying to keep the mindset that nothing is that serious. The things that happen at work that I worry about are not worth causing damage to my heart."

"Through this crisis, we have a newfound perspective on life," Mary Kathryn said. "We are moving forward in gratitude, believing that each day is a precious gift. We truly believe the best is yet to come for our family!"