Sometimes, you have to be COOL to survive.

David McCain literally didn’t know what hit him. Sitting up in his bed, lucid and talkative, he simply had no recollection of the heart attack that almost killed him. One minute, he was at the driving range at Indian Pines talking to the man next to him, and the next he was at EAMC talking to a very worried wife and daughter. What happened in the interim saved his life.

First, the man David was conversing with called 9-1-1 and was instructed to perform chest compressions, which he did. Second, Indian Pines had a defibrillator that was used. These interventions kept David alive, and EMS arrived and transported him to the ED at EAMC. And that’s when Dr. COOL was brought in. Read more...

Dr. COOL is a new intervention being used at EAMC, which stands for Cardio/neuro Optimal Outcome for Longevity. In more familiar terms, it is therapeutic hypothermia, which lowers the body temperature of heart attack victims to greatly reduce the risk of ischemic brain injury as well as improve the odds of long-term recovery. The treatment is provided via an Arctic Sun® cooling device from Medivance, which circulates cold water to pads that are placed on the patient at the torso, thighs and abdomen. Patients are cooled for about 24 hours, and then the body is slowly re-warmed for another 24 hours.

“Mr. McCain’s recovery has been extraordinary,” says Alicia Hegwood, RN, watching him walk down the hall at EAMC assisted by his physical therapists. “There are many factors that contributed to why you see him up and walking, instead of experiencing significant deficits – cognitive and physical. If we had not had Dr. COOL, he would only have had an 8 percent chance of surviving this heart attack.”

Dr. John Mitchell was the cardiologist on call that day who implemented Dr. COOL, and was the first physician to use the technology at EAMC. “Therapeutic hypothermia not only significantly increases survival rates in heart attack patients,” explains Dr. Mitchell. “It also greatly reduces brain injury due to lack of oxygen, as well as other complications.”

With all the interventions used to save David’s life, he insists there was one more. “Divine intervention,” reports David. “The fact that all the right people and the right equipment were in the right place at the right time for me specifically is nothing short of a miracle.”

After quadruple bypass open-heart surgery at UAB, David McCain is looking happy to be alive while rebuilding his strength at cardiac rehab at EAMC. And, he’s already back on the golf course. Now, that’s cool! hide

Still Keeping Up the Pace

As the buildings and grounds supervisor for the Macon County Commission, Willie Pace is a hard-working man. At 62, he feels good, works all day, and doesn’t feel tired. In fact, he claims to never have been sick. He stopped eating refined sugar in the 70s, cut back on red meat, and eats a lot of green. He’ll throw a bunch of raw veggies, an onion, and a whole orange—peel and all—into a blender for a healthy “daiquiri.” And if he has an ache in a joint or cuts himself, he rubs it with his home remedy: hot sauce and whiskey. “When you think about it,” explains Willie. “A lot of arthritis medication has hot peppers and alcohol. I rub a little of that on, and I’m good to go!” Read more...

So it’s no wonder that Willie didn’t have a family doctor. Which is why, three years ago, he decided to have a free screening when EAMC held a health fair in Union Springs. The results indicated prostate problems. “I went to see Dr. Rajan at EAMC, and tests showed I had prostate cancer,” remembers Willie. “Then I had a colonoscopy that revealed cancerous polyps in my colon.” Six months later, Willie had surgery to remove a section of his colon, followed by six months of chemotherapy to treat his colon cancer, which apparently also treated his prostate cancer. “I was lucky and I guess I’m strong. I never lost weight during chemo, didn’t lose my hair, didn’t really have any problems. And my prostate numbers came down, so today I’m feeling pretty good, I don’t take any medications, and my doctor and I are in a ‘watch and see’ mode. It’s been three years and I don’t have any problems. All I can say is: So far, so good!”

According to Chelsea Kroll, who oversees the EAMC prostate and colorectal screening programs for the underserved, the program is a valuable community service. “Early detection is the best protection,” explains Chelsea. “A lot of the men we test either don’t have a doctor or don’t follow up with their doctor. In Mr. Pace’s case, he had insurance, but simply didn’t have a doctor. So conducting free screenings at health fairs and events gives many men in our area their only indication that they may have cancer. We’re very grateful that the EAMC Foundation supports this program and thank the many people who give to the Foundation to make it possible.”hide

Stefanie's Story

With three kids between the ages of six and 13 years, a part-time job at EAMC and a demanding exercise regimen, Stefanie Ledbetter is the stereotypical busy soccer mom. So when her doctor determined that a hysterectomy was necessary, he suggested he perform the procedure using EAMC's advanced, new da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery. Not only did Stefanie say “no,” she said… well, let’s just say it was a more forceful way of saying “no.” Read more...

“I wasn’t wild about the idea of me being the first person to have a hysterectomy using the new technology,” admits Stefanie. “But my doctor explained the benefits: no abdominal soreness because there is no tearing of the muscle, less time under sedation, and how much less invasive it would be versus an open or laparoscopic surgery. And my recovery time would be shorter. He really wanted to try it and assured me that if he got started and it looked like it wouldn’t work, he could switch to one of the other methods.”

So Stefanie agreed. And she’s glad she did. Facing a recovery time of four to six weeks for an open hysterectomy and two to four weeks with laparoscopic, she was amazed with the results. “I booked two weeks off from work, just in case. I had the procedure on a Tuesday, woke up in recovery and felt fine. I stayed home Wednesday, just because my doctor told me to. Thursday I drove the kids to school and went walking in the neighborhood. I could have gone back to work on Friday, but everybody insisted I wait until Monday. My only discomfort was some minor cramps that went away with a Motrin. It was nothing! Within two weeks, I was back running my 2 1/2 miles and going to Zumba class. It turns out that the da Vinci surgery was minimally invasive on both my body and my lifestyle!”

EAMC is dedicated to providing our community with the latest technology and procedures and is the only hospital in our area with the da Vinci robotic surgery. Your continued support of the EAMC Foundation ensures that you and your family have access to all the benefits of advancing medical technology now and in the years to come. hide

Mary's Story

On a cloudy, chilly spring day, the flowers on Mary Reeves’ front porch are a reminder that warmer and sunnier days are ahead. For Mary, that is how it was after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mary had reason to fear cancer – she lost a sister to breast cancer as well as several friends and church members. Also, she works one day a week as a caregiver for the Tankersley family – Danny and his two children, Kyle and Emma. Lisa Tankersley – Danny’s wife and Kyle and Emma’s mom – had passed away from breast cancer in 2006 at the age of 46. “I have seen how devastating breast cancer is, and that is why I always had regular mammograms,” explains Mary. That is, until she was laid off from her job at Ampex a few years ago. Read more...

“I always participated in the walks (Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society) and I heard about the free mammograms at EAMC. It was just time – I had not had one in about four years since I lost my health insurance after I was laid off,” she adds.

Mary went to Auburn Diagnostic Imaging in October 2009 and received her mammogram, but was shaken several days later when she was called back for a biopsy. “Ms. Colleen (Colleen Alsobrook, Breast Health Navigator at EAMC) was so nice and helpful. She was with me every step of the way. She still keeps in touch with me.”

The biopsy revealed breast cancer. “It was about the size of a dime or a grape,” Mary says. “I never felt it.” Fortunately, the tumor had not spread to her lymph nodes, and when it was removed, she was put on a chemotherapy regimen with no additional treatments deemed necessary. “I just have to take my pill every day for five years, and they said that should take care of it,” she explains. Mary received a clean bill of health at her three-month post-surgical check-up in March. “They told me I don’t need to come back for six months,” adds Mary. “I am back at work now and I don’t have time to get depressed!” And, Mary walked in the 2010 Relay For Life on May 7, where she wore a pink t-shirt to honor the memory of a friend whom she lost to breast cancer.

Mary is a vibrant, active woman who loves helping others. She is important in the lives of her children, Gwen and Kenneth, and her grandson, Kentavious, who graduated from Opelika High School this spring. And there are the others whose lives she touches – Jacob Walker, Sr., who Mary visits four days a week, the Tankersleys, as well as friends and family members, church friends and neighbors. All are glad that Mary is alive and well – thanks in part to the EAMC Foundation and the free mammogram program.

There are many more women like Mary in our community – women who are uninsured or underinsured and cannot pay the out-of-pocket expense for a mammogram. Young or mature, unemployed or underemployed, these women are our mothers, wives, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, friends.… If there is a woman in your life whom you would like to honor through a gift to the Cancer Center of East Alabama Breast Health Fund, please call the EAMC Foundation at 334-528-5874.hide