Photographed by NDC Photography She Story
Pamela Lee matters of the heart
Though her mother had a history of heart disease, Pam Lee ignored the signs. She thought her symptoms were perhaps panic attacks. Also, she took excellent care of her- self and ate healthy foods, since she is diabetic. Perhaps she was just trying to convince herself it was not her heart, hoping the symptoms would go away. August 31, 2012, around 12:15 AM, Pam woke up to a severe pain under her chin, in the
top part of her chest. This pain lasted about two to three minutes and went away. Before she could call out to her husband, she had another pain. The third pain was worse than the other two, and she was paralyzed with fright. She could not move or even talk, but Pam remembers talking to Jesus. She told Him if it was time for her to go home, she was ready. She asked Him to take care of her husband and son. Then, she went back to sleep. The next morning, she awoke feeling fine. She told herself that she would not be
feeling so good had it been her heart. The next night, September 1, about 10:30 PM, she felt “funny.” There was no pain, but her body was tingling. She knew there was some- thing wrong, not sure exactly what. She told her husband that she needed to go to the Emergency Room, afraid she was having a heart attack. “When we entered the doors of Carolinas Hospital Emergency Room , I was taken right back. I was examined and given 4 baby aspirin.” Next, Pam heard someone say, “Call Dr. Smith, she need a heart cath now!” She was placed in Cardiac ICU and a heart surgeon was called in. As Pam describes it,
Dr. Steven Chapman was her lifeline for the next several days. She needed a quadruple bypass, but her heart was not strong enough to survive the surgery.
“I was in God’s
hands now. I had to rest so my heart could get stronger.” The surgery was scheduled for the following Monday, but aſter checking her enzymes, the surgery was postponed another three days. The morning of the surgery, Pam was very calm.
She knew God had heard every
prayer and that she would be OK. The next thing she remembers is waking up aſter the surgery - a little sore, but not nearly as much as she had imagined. The next twenty-four hours were the hardest. The worst part for her family was watching her hooked up to all the tubes and machines. Pam had two nurse-angels watching out for her. She felt alone yet not alone. She was being attended to with the best care possible, yet she felt like she was in a dimly lit hole she could not escape. The following morning, she was helped out of bed and into a chair at 6:00 AM. “I think I could’ve hurt those nurses at that time!” She was unable to do anything for herself, even turning from side to side in the bed. She was transferred to the heart floor on Sunday aſternoon and was released on Mon-
day. The first week, her husband stayed home with her to help her do everything. Pam was out of work a total of three months. “One major thing that helped me get through the next three months (other than God, prayer, and family and friends) was the laughter that Barry and Caleb kept flowing through our home.” This experience has taught Pam and her family to take each day as it comes and live
it to the fullest. Though they have always been the kind of family who is always doing things together, they have become even closer. Barry and Caleb have started walking, as well, and eating the healthy food Pam prepares. Together, they have lost 35 pounds. Pam goes to Cardiac Rehab three days each week. “Believe it or not, I enjoy it!” Going through open heart surgery has helped Pam realize never to take sickness or a
strange pain for granted, ever again. “I love life more, and my family, too. My sister, Rob- in, has always had a piece of my heart... but now her name is stamped on one side!”
“This
experience has taught Pam and her family to take each day as it comes and live it to the fullest.”
Today, she feels great. Pam says that Dr. Chapman tells her she did much better than he thought she would. She continues to see her cardiologist yearly and Dr. Demarco every few months. She shares that Dr. Demarco is one of the most caring doctors she has ever known. On a personal note, she adds, “I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at Carolinas
Hospital for your concern, care, and kindness and the love you showed me and my family. A tremendous thank you to the staff at Carolinas Rehab, too. You have been my second family for over a year now. Each one of you has a special place in my heart. Each one of you has been there for me every day. The hardest part of my journey has been the emotional part of my ordeal. You guys know just what to say and have helped me more than words can say and I love you all.” For advice to our readers, Pam shares, “Please take heed to what your body is telling you. Do not put off going to your doctor because you are scared of the unknown. God gives you warning signs. Please take advantage of that.”
Pam Lee lives in Florence. She and Barry, who works at Carolina International Truck, have been married for 28 years. Their son, Caleb, is a junior at Faith Christian Academy. Pam and her sister Robin have had a house cleaning service for 22 years.
104 February 2014
shemagazine.com
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