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| "TEAM DARIO: Part of the medical team that saved the life of Los Cerritos Community News account executive Dario Cangas included (l-r) Kevin Brown, Director of Cardiac Services, Tim Barnett, Director of Emergency Services, Cangas and Kerey Bresnahan, Heart and Vascular Center Data Coordinator. Randy Economy, LCCN Photo |
LCCN Staff Reporter
www.loscerritosnews.net
Cerritos:
It was the scariest moment anyone can experience, having a massive heart attack while sitting at your office desk.
One week ago, Los Cerritos Community News member Dario Cangas, 53, grasped his chest and yelled out to his publisher Brian Hews, Editor Jerry Bernstein, Reporter Randy Economy and Marketing Consultant Nick Nicolaides to call “911” because “I am having a heart attack.”
At that split second, the LCCN News team watched their beloved coworker struggle for air and could not imagine the horror that was playing out before them.
Grabbing the phone to call “911,” the operator on the other end dispatched emergency aid workers to the LCCN News room located at the corner of Artesia Boulevard and Shoemaker Avenue. Dario was dying and needed to get help within minutes.
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| Dario returns to Lakewood Regional Medical Center to thank everyone! |
Dario suffered the worst possible kind of heart attack, in medical terms he was experiencing an acute myocardial infarction.
The only way to save his life was to have Dario taken to a fully equipped hospital that specializes in a procedure called heart cauterization and to make sure that he was operated on immediately or within the first hour, normally called the “Golden hour.” That term refers to the first sixty minutes after a patient suffers a major traumatic injury such as a stroke or heart attack. There are 33 hospitals in Los Angeles County that performs this procedure, and the closet one to the LCCN office is Lakewood Regional Medical Center located on South Street near Lakewood Boulevard around 7 miles away from the LCCN office. This facility ranks in the top six hospitals in all of LA County for stent placements.
As Dario was rushed by paramedics and fire fighters to LRH via the 91 Freeway and side crowded side streets.
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| The stint that saved Dario's life |
“All I could remember is the amount of pain and pressure I was feeling on my chest, it felt like someone had literally driven over the top of me with a truck. It was the most excoriating pain I have ever experienced in my life,” Cangas recanted.
LCCN Publisher Brian Hews immediately called LRMC Marketing Director Patrick Houston and alerted them that Cangas was being transported to their facility via ambulance.
Nicolaides, a friend and coworker with Cangas for more than two and a half decades literally flew down the 91 Freeway with the emergency workers to be with his friend. “I never knew that you can get from Cerritos to Lakewood so fast, I think I prayed all the entire time,” Nicolaides said.
When they arrived, a team of trained professionals from the “STEMI” Program were waiting and immediately rushed Cangas into surgery.
“Dario was experiencing the worst possible type of heart attack,” recalled Registered Nurse Kevin Brown who is the Cardiovascular Administrator at Lakewood Regional.
The team immediately reevaluated Cangas and started to place a stint through his the main vein in his
upper left leg. The stint that is around one inch long and appears to look like a “spring” had a micro
balloon attached. The first attempt failed to break through Dario’s clogged artery, and he was literally
within minutes from death.
On a second attempt, the team of doctors reached the totally plugged artery and it began to literally “melt through the blockage” and blood flow was instantly returned to Dario’s main heart muscle.
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| All smiles....Dario |
“If I wouldn’t have reached Lakewood Regional in time, or if I would have been taken to another hospital, you would have been writing my obituary,” Cangas joyfully remarked.
Cangas was released from the facility within 36 hours. He was ordered on a strict new diet that will contain no processed foods, low salt, low fat and low cholesterol.
“I have to give up my cigars,” Cangas remarked,
He has also been prescribed a new daily regimen of medications including aspirin, anti coagulants, blood pressure and two different cholesterol supplements.
This week he has been given a “second chance” at life.
Dr. Jack Dobkin, the CATH Lab Medical Director for LRMC said that Dario was “lucky” but wanted to remind everyone about the signals and warning signs of heart attacks.
He said that men and women have different type of “warning” symptoms when it comes to heart attacks. “Men normally will have heaviness in their chests, shortness of breath and weakness in their legs prior to a suffering a full heart attack,” according to Dr. Dobkin, and women should always be aware of severe pains in their upper backs, throat and jaw discomfort, and indigestion problems. “Men and woman have totally different symptoms,” said Dobkin. He urged everyone to get regular screenings from their doctors.
Cangas, in the meantime, came back to work at the Los Cerritos Community News on Tuesday.
“Life really is a precious gift,” he said.
“Today I am thankful to be alive, and thankful to have had the best coworkers, and medical team anyone could ever ask for,” said Cangas.
2 comments:
Mr. Dario may be shocked to learn that Jim Barnett, one of those people who helped save his life, has been terminated by the lovely Administrative Team at Lakewood Regional.
Jim, one of 4 Directors recently terminated from Lakewood for speaking up against their sloppy services.
You were lucky you lived through it Mr. Dario...very lucky!
DaI WOULD LOVE FOR U TO SEE THIS MESSAGE ....
ITS MELISSA UR OLD STEP DAUGHTER LIDIAS DAUGHTER .... WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM U SOON .... SO SAD BUT AT THE SAME TIME SO HAPPY TO HEAR UR OK TOTALLY A MIRACLE.... PLEASE EMAIL ME MELYTOLEDO26@YAHOO.COM...... LOVE YOU ALWAYS ...... MELISSA TOLEDO
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