Taking it to Heart

GARY OLLIS OWES HIS LIFE TO ST. JOSEPH’S MEDICAL CENTER, LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS, AND HIS WIFE

BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON

Gary Ollis could have easily become another heart attack statistic if not for the quick thinking of his wife and the lifesaving treatment of first responders, doctors, and staff at St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

July 11, 2022, after a night of working, Gary had a moment of weakness and went out to his garage and in his own words was “doing stupid things.” He came back in the house, sat on the bed, and didn’t feel well. “I had a doozy!” exclaims Gary. “I had a ‘widow-maker’ heart attack. I had 99.9% blockage in my main artery.”

He recalls that his chest was hurting, and he explained it to his wife, Jennifer Ollis. Then the pain infiltrated his left arm and Jennifer immediately recognized the symptoms as a heart attack, called ‘9-1-1’, and had Gary chew and swallow four aspirin. In three-to-four-minutes, paramedics arrived and took Gary to a waiting ambulance. He coded six times before he even got to the hospital.

A recent reunion with the staff at St. Joseph’s was a welcome moment with those Gary now considers family. “The entire cardiac team that worked on me… Every nurse, doctor, IV vampire… Every person who worked on me, I was able to meet and take pictures with. I gave them all a set of angel wings,” explains Gary.

“Dr. Richard Waters, he is my true hero! All the AMR guys were there, too.” The angel wings were signed by the Ollis’ family and hang in the workplaces of those who gave him a second

chance at life.

The heart attack was a wake-up call and Gary has been clean and sober. He has also changed his eating habits by avoiding fried foods and adding more fruits and vegetables. A lifelong car mechanic, Gary recently took on a job at the Odessa Car Auction Yard and is embracing this new chapter of life.

Gary routinely talks to the AMR staff that gave everything to save him. He also honks at the fire station staff that responded to his emergency whenever he drives by—a gesture they return when they drive by the Ollis’ home, too.

Time: 6-8 PM