Look alive with Seventy-Five!
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Look alive with Seventy-Five!
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Dear ’mates: Bravo Zulu Jon Greenert! Pending confirmation, one of our own will be the next CNO. I can’t think of a more deserving officer or a better choice to lead our Navy. News from Classmate News service: Tim Heely has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Steve Newberry is a new member of the Board of Directors of Nanometrics, Inc. Before Jamie Burd’s untimely death, he and Nancy made it a point to be on the yard for every I-Day to offer friendly faces, handshakes, and hugs to the often-overwhelmed incoming midshipmen. Since his son was inducted in 2005, Steve Curlee has assumed the watch, joining Nancy Burd every June. This year he welcomed yet another new mid – Josh Miller ’15, son of our own David Miller. When I finished up the July-August column last month the ’75 gouge locker was completely empty. So I sounded the “Low Gouge Alarm.” Duty contributors immediately responded and we’ve now officially switched from famine to feast. Now secure from Low Gouge Emergency. Thanks to the many who came to the rescue. No way we can cover it all this month, so—in no particular order—here we go. Dan Murphy checked in for the first time since … forever. This is the first time I have written since graduation so I figured it was time. Since retiring as a Commander in 1995 I have been teaching the Navy JROTC program in both Florida and Texas and making all the 5th year reunions. This upcoming year will probably be my last teaching as my wife Patty has decided its time to get the RV and start traveling around the country. Patty and I attended the Class of 2011 graduation. Nephew Patrick is headed off to flight school to hopefully become a chopper pilot. SecDef Gates gave an outstanding speech. I was also truly impressed with the local kids who ran out to give the first salute and get a cover. You would not like to get in their way. I hope to see a lot of classmates in Dublin. First company has about 50% going. Many have already gone into training for the Bar Hopping. Apparently that same weekend there will be some U.S. high school games going on in Dublin. My old high school (Jesuit of Dallas) will be playing before the Navy game. Should be fun. Classmates may not know this but N-8 is 1st Company’s own VADM Terry Blake. As Terry put it he “won’t get fired because nobody else wants the job.” <75#1: “Murphys with nephew Patrick”>
Tom Kelley had a memorable birthday week. I had to shorten his story for the column, but it is excellent (and scary). See the class web page for the unabridged version. I turned 58 in May. I almost didn’t make it. I arrived at my work as a contractor for the DEA on 16 May 2011 at about 0630. I checked e-mail then went to the cafeteria for coffee. As I was walking back to my office (OK, it’s a cubicle), I began to feel a little dizzy. I sat down hoping that I’d feel better – I didn’t. Besides feeling dizzy, I had widespread pressure and pain in my chest; very sore forearms; and extremely tender ‘jugulars’ along my neck. I am not a doctor, but this didn’t sound good. I called Carole who googled the symptoms – which indicated that I was having a heart problem. The DEA clinic nurse took my vitals as I described my symptoms. My vital signs were fine but the nurse was concerned. She said that I needed to go to a hospital for further diagnosis. I could travel by ambulance or someone could give me a ride. Believe or not, at this point, I told the nurse that I was feeling better and could probably go back to work; she was not having any of that nonsense. Meanwhile, the doctor came in to the office and told me that I wasn’t going anywhere until I had an EKG. I was quickly ‘hooked up’ and watched the needles jump along the paper. The doctor looked at the strip and said to me – quite calmly – “You are having a heart attack” and told the medical assistant to call 911. They gave me four aspirin and a nitroglycerin pill. I was also given oxygen. Within minutes, the rescue personnel arrived – five very serious-looking people. An IV was inserted, many questions were asked, and I was moved to the gurney for the trip down the elevator and outside to the waiting ambulance. The Virginia Hospital Center is about five miles from DEA. It has a Cardiac Catheterization Lab, which – among other things – has the capability to insert stents. The technician in the ambulance continued to monitor my vitals and gave me a couple of sprays of a nitroglycerine solution. Ironically, I had worn my ‘marathon’ tie to work that day. The technician asked if I was a runner (actually, he asked if I was a jogger – I quickly corrected him). Once at the hospital, I was wheeled in with no waiting (it seems that heart attack patients get everyone excited)! Like a well-orchestrated fire drill, there were at least a half-dozen medical staff inserting this and that, asking questions, and assuring me that everything would be fine. Since one’s birth date is a key part of the medical record, everyone was wishing me, ‘Happy Birthday’. I took that as a positive sign – they thought that I would be around to celebrate it. After about five minutes, I was off to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. The staff was waiting for me. The lead cardiologist, Dr. Antonio Parente, was calm and reassuring. They slid me onto the table. This was the first time that I realized the severity of the problem and what they planned to do. Everything was done in a methodical, straightforward way; each step was explained to me. The nurse asked if she could remove my trousers; I had to help her with the top button. A little bit of shaving and sterilization and I was almost ready to go. The last thing I remember was Dr. Parente telling me that they were going to insert a probe in my artery near the groin and then … I passed out (or, actually, I had a cardiac arrest). It is hard to describe what happened next. I wasn’t really dreaming nor did I see St. Peter. Bizarre flashes. White lights. But I was suddenly jolted back to the real world. I had been ‘defibrillated.’ It felt like electricity went through my body (which, I guess, is exactly what happened); my body leaped off the table (it seemed like a foot but I’m sure that it was only a fraction of an inch). Now that the doctor had my attention, I said to him, “What was that!!??” Dr. Parente said that he would tell me later (apparently, he was busy). Regardless, the procedure was over before I knew it. I stayed awake for the remainder of time. The stent was successfully inserted in my left anterior descending (LAD) artery and I felt relief and lessened chest pain. Almost nothing. Amazing. Dr. Parente told me that I had a cardiac arrest on the table so they shocked me back to life. The defibrillator ‘pads’ are placed on the patient’s chest as part of normal preparation; the nurse only has to ‘press a button’ if a shock is required – I only needed one button-push. Dr. Parente said that if I was going to have a cardiac arrest, I couldn’t have picked a better place (not that I had much say in the matter). Later, I found out that the emergency and EMR technicians were glad that I didn’t have a cardiac arrest under their care; the survival rate is less than 5% and they probably couldn’t have saved me. Well, everything else is anti-climatic. For the rest of my time in the hospital, I was under observation. Many visitors and even more phone calls. And for the doctors, I had a lot of, “Why me?” questions. I had a blocked artery. But why? The factors that contribute to heart disease and blocked arteries: (1) smoking, (2) overweight, (3) high blood pressure, (4) high cholesterol, (5) lack of exercise, (6) diabetes, and (7) poor diet. For me, that is seven “Nos”. Another factor is family history. I need to investigate some more. I know next to nothing about my father’s side and nothing stands out on my mother’s side. I asked Dr. Parente if I wasted my time eating well and exercising. He said that I did nothing wrong and that the heart attack was not caused by my life style. As a matter of fact, he said that he probably would have seen me five to ten years earlier if I did not have a healthy life style. “Sometimes things happen and we don’t know why.” One of his colleagues told me that they don’t like patients like me – they like someone with obvious underlying problems. What about stress? It can contribute to high blood pressure. And certainly a stress-free (or stress-reduced) environment is good. I’m not too sure what a stress-free environment looks like, but it is something that I will explore. I was discharged about 80 hours after I was admitted – incredible. So what’s next? Dr. Parente expects 100% recovery. None of my other arteries showed any blockage, which is unusual in people with heart disease. My heart had some damage from the heart attack, which is to be expected. That damage (pumping capacity) will improve with time. I have to take four different heart medications – I will be weaned from two of them within a year. I won’t have any long-term restrictions to any activities. I will attend cardiac after-care sessions to see how I can improve my diet and if I need to change how I exercise. Transcendental meditation (or a variation) is also an option. I am torn between thanking God for letting me live and being mad at God for not preventing the heart attack in the first place. I will leave this discussion for the theologians in the group. Regardless, I am happy that I am here to share my story with you. <75#2: “The general with a couple of his old firsties”> Long time friends got together for a great celebration. Rex Estilow and Chris Cikanovich joined LGEN Jack Klimp (3rd Co. Officer in 1975) at the wedding reception for the general’s daughter Ashley. They were all together in Southport, NC for a wedding celebration that started on Friday and ended on Monday morning. Rumor has it that Southport has not seen that much rum consumed since pirate days…and that was just Chris. Next time we can look forward to some good stuff from Steve “Click” Urich, Gary Swift, Andy Howard, and the Rolls-Royce booth at the Sea, Air, Space symposium. Don’t miss the Sep-Oct issue! … ’75 Sir! Larry |
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