I knew all about my strong family history of heart disease. Both my parents and their parents experienced some type of heart issue. But when I started to experience the classic symptoms, at age 31, I never guessed I was in store for a heart attack.

All within a few days, I experienced ear pain, and pain that jetted down my jaw and arm. I had had a baby eight months prior, so in my mind, I kept thinking this pain was somehow related to a difficult birth. The pain was persistent, eventually making me nauseous and dizzy.

I was at the Madison airport when it happened. All of a sudden, I felt a crushing chest pain. I was picking up my sister from her flight, and she was there with me. It was all "over" within minutes. But I still didn't think I had a heart attack.

The next day my Stoughton physician performed an EKG. I still wasn't feeling well, so I was not really surprised when he called me at home and told me to go to the Meriter ER immediately. My husband drove me there. When we walked in, a team of nurses took me back and began to work on me. That's when the heart attack was confirmed.

They sent me to the Meriter cath lab, where I had a stent placed. Dr. Gimelli did the procedure. He assured me everything was going to be all right. And it was. But not before I laid there quietly hoping and praying that I'd make it through the procedure. I have two young daughters and a husband that needed me.

I was impressed with the nurses and the physician at Meriter. I'll never forget the nurses and how kind they were. I suppose, being close to my age, they were sympathetic, but also clinically interested in my case.

It's been two years since that time and I feel great. The folks at Meriter fixed my heart. I'm a scrapbooker and I belong to a scrapbook club. We get together once a month to spend time chronicling memories. This is one scrapbook I was glad to be around to finish. Thanks again, Meriter!
Michelle