It was a normal night for Greg D’Anna – dinner out followed by relaxing at home with his wife. Even the indigestion he felt seemed normal. Until it wasn’t.

“We were falling asleep watching TV when I felt what I thought was indigestion,” D’Anna recalls. “I got up and drank some water, and as soon as I got back on the couch, I got more of a shocking pain in my chest. It was a very sharp, stabbing pain that went down my left arm. It was the most intense pain I have ever felt. I woke up my wife and said, ‘I’ve got to go to the hospital.’”

Since they live down the street from Tucson Medical Center, D’Anna’s wife drove him straight to the Emergency Department. It was a cold January night, but by the time they arrived at the hospital, D’Anna was sweating profusely.

“I’m having a heart attack,” D’Anna said to the security guard at the ED entrance. They took one look at him and immediately got him into triage. In a matter of minutes, TMC staff were connecting him to an EKG and taking his vitals. Before he knew it, he heard a nurse say, “we need to get him on the table, he’s gray.”

“That’s when I noticed the incredible team TMC had in place,” D’Anna said. “They worked so incredibly fast and they all knew what they were doing.”

Within an hour of walking through the ED doors, D’Anna was in the Cath Lab to have a stent placed in his heart. His right coronary artery was 100% blocked, causing the heart attack.

“Pretty soon, the cardiologist said, ‘do you feel better?’ and I said, ‘I do.’ The stent had been placed,” he said. “All of this happened in less than an hour. I was amazed because it was midnight, and they had less than an hour to get the Cath lab ready. I was told the group of people in the ED would be my code team if I coded. This whole system was set up and in place. Each of these individuals were standing there ready to do their job and I  was really impressed by that. They all worked together as a team, and they saved my life.”

D'Anna was discharged a couple days later and bounced back quickly, however he learned that his left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 95% blocked, so he came back a few weeks later to have another stent placed – and said that experience was just as impressive.

“I felt very well taken care of during this whole experience,” he said. “It was a very frightening experience, but knowing TMC is there is a comfort.”

Though D’Anna doesn’t recall having symptoms leading to his heart attack, there were risk factors he was aware of. He said heart problems run in his family, he was heavier than he should be, and out of shape.

“While some risk factors for heart attacks such as age and family history, cannot be controlled, others can be managed through lifestyle modifications,” said Dr. Basel Skeif, cardiologist. “By adopting healthy habits like maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in physical activity and avoiding excessive alcohol, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of developing heart-related conditions.”

D’Anna has taken his recovery seriously and has lost 35 pounds by cutting sugar and fat from his diet and no longer drinks alcohol. He also attends TMC Cardiac Rehabilitation to improve his cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of future heart problems.

“I’m too young to check out at this point,” he said. “They invested a lot to save my life, and I want to honor their work by taking care of myself.”

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