There’s a joy that comes with defying the odds and it radiates from Keith and Cathy Baumgarn.
The couple from Westfield is grateful for each day, each walk and more time together.
“I never take anything for granted. I’m truly blessed to still be here, and I never lose sight of that,” Keith said. “People need to realize that you never know.”
Keith is retired now, but grew up knowing that heart disease ran in his family.
His dad, Earl, died of a massive heart attack at age 46. Later, two brothers, Terry and Larry, and a sister, Karen, died of heart disease.
Keith was 43 when he said he felt particularly sluggish at work. He left at lunch and went straight to urgent care to get checked.
“They said, ‘Well, the flu is going around. It’s a 24-hour bug, it’s school time, so you should be good.’ And as I was walking out, something said, ‘Go back and have additional tests.’ So I went back in, and they ran an additional test. They said, ‘Mr. Baumgarn, we’re going to transport you by ambulance to the hospital,’” Keith said.
Those tests revealed he had an 80% blockage in four arteries. In surgery two days later, doctors found two more blockages, and everything Keith needed for a repair and to survive surgery was available.
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