Ray's Heart Attack Story

Ray Bornert, heart patient, Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital

The pain came without warning. It was minor at first, nagging at the left side of his chest. Was it indigestion or something more?

Ray Bornert decided to have it checked out. Hours later, after suffering a heart attack, he was fighting for his life.

If it wasn’t for the specialized care at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital, the Navy veteran may not have won the battle. But he did.

“I think the world of the staff at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital,” said Ray, 79. “They are very kind and very serious about their work. I didn’t realize how sick I was. They took great care of me.”

Ray didn’t see heart troubles coming.  He was in good health and had been treated for high blood pressure for about 12 years. But he didn’t have a history of heart or vascular problems.

When the first symptom hit, he was out driving alone. Though the pain was mild, he stopped at a Valley hospital emergency room as a precaution. While getting an X-ray, he suffered a heart attack and staff immediately transferred him to Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital.

The hospital’s medical team placed Ray in a medically-induced coma and inserted the first of two stents through his groin to treat blockage in his arteries that caused the heart attack.

When Ray awoke days later, his cardiologist Dr. Ayman Jamal gave him the shocking news: he had been in full cardiac arrest upon arriving at the hospital and was lucky to be alive.

Ray doesn’t remember anything after parking his car that day. But he knows that he’s alive because of the experienced staff, specialized care and state-of-the-art facilities at Abrazo.

Disclaimer: Dr. Ayman Jamal is an independent physician and not an employee, agent or representative of Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital. He is solely responsible for the provision of his medical services to his patients.