LYNN — City Councilor-at-Large Brian Field considers himself lucky to be alive after suffering a heart attack with such a low survival rate that it is referred to in the medical community as a widow maker.
Field, 44, a funeral director at Solimine Funeral Homes, said he began feeling some discomfort in his upper chest Thursday night after walking his dog, Cooper, but since the feeling of tightness went away after resting on the couch with a glass of water, he did not think much of it.
However, when he woke up early the next morning, it became apparent that the previous night’s discomfort was not just indigestion, as he had surmised before going to bed.
“When I woke up Friday morning around 6 a.m., the same discomfort started again,” said Field. “I sat down on my bed and began to get the sweats and then for the first time realized that it was something more.”
Field knew he had to act quickly, which his doctors and paramedics said contributed to his survival.
Field sent a text message to his wife, Stefani, asking her to come upstairs immediately and get her father, a retired Lynn firefighter. Stefani called 911 and within minutes, Lynn firefighters and paramedics from Cataldo Ambulance had arrived, he said.
First responders “safely and professionally” moved Field from his bed to the ambulance, and paramedics had a catheter in each of his arms and were in direct contact with the Salem Hospital emergency room team by the time the ambulance had reached Wyoma Square, he said.
During his transport, Field said his pain was limited to his neck and jaw, along with the tightness he was still experiencing in his upper chest. After reaching Salem Hospital, he was taken to the ER, with an “awesome” team that quickly diagnosed what type of heart attack he was having, he said.
Shortly after the diagnosis, Field was in the cardiac cath lab, where procedures involving catheters, tiny flexible tubes, are used to access the heart and blood vessels in lieu of surgery, with Dr. Sanu Thomas and his team, he said.
“When I woke up, Dr. Thomas showed and explained to me what type of blockage I had and how fatal it could have been,” said Field, who recalls the scary conversation he had with his doctor.
“A blockage in the left anterior descending artery is fatal in 88 percent of patients when being stricken outside of a medical facility,” his doctor told him. “It’s nicknamed ‘the widow maker’ for a reason. You’re alive because you didn’t wait to get help. Another half hour or hour and we probably would not have been having this conversation.”
The widow maker is one of the deadliest kinds of heart attacks, which can happen suddenly when a key artery that moves blood to the heart gets almost or completely blocked. Without emergency treatment, a person may not survive, according to WebMD, which notes that despite its name, the widow maker can affect women as well.
“As a 44-year-old father of three, that was the most frightening thing I’ve ever heard,” said Field. “Although I felt healthy up to that point and again after the procedure, I know I was lucky and have (to make) some lifestyle changes over the next few months that will help further improve my health.”
Field, who was released from the hospital on Monday afternoon, said he feels good. He said he decided to talk about his experience to encourage others to get help if they are not feeling well, which likely made the difference between him having a health scare or fatal heart attack.
“I shared my story because no one, including myself, ever imagines or wants to imagine being in this situation,” said Field. “I know how lucky I am. If you ever feel something isn’t right, get help. I did and it ended up saving my life.”
