Cover Story

Zero to life or death in the blink of an eye

Quick response saves a well-known local pastor from “widow maker” heart attack.

It was just another busy Friday afternoon in the life of Gary Hamrick, associate pastor at Monument Baptist Church in Deer Park. He was in his offi ce, planning a funeral with members of a grieving family when he felt light muscle spasms in his chest. Within minutes, he was nauseous and sweating.

Hamrick mentioned to coworkers that he wasn’t feeling well and was leaving for the day, and he made the short drive home. He walked into the house and took off his shoes, with plans to rest awhile.

“And then it hit me like a lightning bolt,” said Hamrick. “Like a ton of bricks had landed on my chest.”

What Hamrick was experiencing was a 100% blockage of his left anterior descending artery — a heart attack that is commonly called a “widow maker,” because of the likelihood of fatality. But he is alive today because of the rapid response of the highly trained physicians and staff at two nearby Houston Methodist facilities. What Hamrick was experiencing was a 100% blockage of his left anterior descending artery — a heart attack that is commonly called a “widow maker,” because of the likelihood of fatality.

First stop: Emergency Care Center

Although now he realizes he should have called 911, Hamrick’s fi rst action was to call his wife, Sabrina, a teacher at Deer Park Middle School. She had left school early and was just minutes from the house. Not wanting to upset her, Hamrick just said he wasn’t feeling well and needed to go to the nearby Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center in Deer Park, located at 3701 Center St.

“I didn’t realize how serious the situation was,” remembers Sabrina. “I was just driving him nonchalantly and he reached over and turned the fl ashers on. He said, ‘I need you to drive faster because I think I’m having a heart attack.’” Once inside the Emergency Care Center, Hamrick collapsed to his knees. Within seconds, he was placed in a wheelchair and rushed to the back, where he was immediately given an EKG to test his heart function.

“Pastor Gary was in a lot of pain and panicking,” remembers Jeliane Galvez, the charge nurse on duty at the Emergency Care Center that afternoon. “He was panicking and telling his wife he loved her. He knew it was serious. Our goal was to move as quickly as possible to prepare him for transport — and prepare the hospital to receive him — but also to help keep him calm by sharing what we were doing and what the next steps would be.”

Hamrick was in and out of consciousness as the staff, including Dr. Husam Athamneh and nurse Murray Donnelly, worked on him.

“A lot of those initial moments are a blur to me,” said Hamrick. “But one thing I remember

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is that as soon as the results from the EKG came out, the entire demeanor of the room changed. The staff went into overdrive and within three or four minutes, I was in an ambulance on my way to Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital.”

Next stop: Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital

The Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center in Deer Park, which opened in 2020, is much more than an urgent care clinic. It is a full-service emergency room, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The staff includes board-certified emergency physicians and highly trained nurses, and the center offers an on-site laboratory; full-service diagnostics, including X-ray, CT and ultrasound; private treatment rooms; easy access; and free parking.

“Most importantly, if an individual comes here with a situation that requires more extensive care like Pastor Gary did, we can immediately transfer them to Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital and provide seamlessly coordinated care,” said Curtis Townsend, director of Critical Care Services. “When minutes count, that can make all the difference.”

Once at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital, Hamrick’s stretcher was rolled through the emergency room straight to the cardiac catheterization lab, where boardcertified interventional cardiologist Dr. Sami Aasar and his team were ready and waiting.

“They lifted me from the stretcher onto the bed and this man reached out to me,” remembers Hamrick. “He looked down at me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, ‘I’m not going to let anything happen to you today, Mr. Hamrick.’ I was in a state of extreme stress, but I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of peace and calmness. At that moment, Dr. Aasar’s demeanor and professionalism had a profound impact on me. And since that day, I’ve come to learn that he is an incredible physician — so kind and caring.”

During the procedure that followed, Aasar removed the blockage from Hamrick’s artery and inserted two stents to help ensure continued blood flow. Two days later, Hamrick was on his way home.

Dr. Aasar Sami

A chance to say thanks

That next week, while recovering, Hamrick felt well enough to pay a visit to the Emergency Care Center and personally thank the team that saved his life.

“More than one person at the hospital said to me, ‘You should be dead,’” said Hamrick. “You know something really significant has happened to you when people who know medicine say something like that. But I believe in the divine, and I believe the Lord put me in a place where everyone performs at the highest level and the result is the best health care possible. Those people saved my life.”

When Hamrick entered the Emergency Care Center — just four days after arriving there following his near-fatal heart attack — the staff met him in the lobby. Tears flowed on both sides as he posed for photos with the staff members who had responded with utmost professionalism and training to his emergency. “We just hugged each other and cried,” said Hamrick. “It was very emotional. But I just had to say ‘thanks.’”

Hamrick had an especially poignant moment with Donnelly, who had stayed by his side in the treatment room at the Emergency Care Center.

“Those folks have a very difficult job because people come in, get treated and leave, and very few have the opportunity to say, ‘thank you,’” said Hamrick. “It can be stressful and overwhelming for the staff after a while. Being able to come back and let them know what a difference they made to me was incredible.”

Back in the pulpit

Hamrick’s heart attack occurred in late October 2021. In December, he was back having another procedure with Aasar, since tests had shown he had an 80 percent blockage in another artery. A third stent was inserted.

But after another month of rest, Hamrick was back at work. On Jan. 23, he gave his first two sermons since October to the congregation at Monument Baptist Church.

“My message was not to take life for granted,” Hamrick said. “Live to the fullest all the time. Love unconditionally all the time. You never know what will happen. You can go from zero to life or death in the blink of an eye.”

And he also has one other message for friends, families, neighbors and individuals across the Bay Area.

“I want people to know that we should all be grateful to have facilities like the Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center in Deer Park and Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital right here in our communities,” he said. “To have that level of care, and to be treated by professionals who are so skilled and so well trained — is a true blessing.”