Some people might call her stubborn. Cyndee Lester prefers the word “independent”.
Whatever word you choose after reading this story, Cyndee’s personality has served her well, leading to success personally and professionally.
But, her independence also almost cost her life.
“It was terrible,” Cyndee said. “They told me in the Blessing Emergency Center that I was basically on the one-yard line (near death). I did not realize how serious it was.”
What happened?
Cyndee enjoyed good health for 58 years. The exercise fanatic and bank executive said, “I can’t sit still. I have to be doing something. If I am sitting at home, I feel guilty because I am not being productive.”
Her life changed one day when – on her way home from attending an out-of-town event – Cyndee was not feeling well and pulled over to the side of the highway.
“I blacked out for no reason,” she said.
Cyndee’s daughter – Hayley Leenerts and Hayley’s fiancé at the time and now husband – Grant Leenerts – attended the event with her and helped get her home safely, encouraging Cyndee to seek medical help. Reluctantly, Cyndee went to the Blessing Hospital Emergency Center – with her significant other Randy Boyer by her side – for the answer to why she lost consciousness behind the wheel of her car.
From the ER, Cyndee was referred to the Blessing Health Cardiology team. It would take a month for this “independent” woman to follow up with nationally board-certified and fellowship-trained cardiologist, Dr. Farooq Junaid.
“He wanted me to do all these tests and I thought he was crazy,” Cyndee said with a laugh. “I was thinking, ‘I’m fine. I exercise all the time. What can be wrong? It was just a fluke.’”
“She is an extremely healthy person who exercises religiously,” said Dr. Junaid. “So, it was concerning that her heart rate would be running low and she had passed out.”
If it was up to Cyndee, this story might have ended here. Enter Ashley Sherwood, BSN, RN, Dr. Junaid’s nurse.
“She was very persistent,” Cyndee said.
Six weeks after losing consciousness behind the wheel of her car along the side of the highway, and because of Ashley’s persistence, Cyndee finally agreed to the tests Dr. Junaid said she needed.
The results led to one more test – a heart catheterization.
Again, Cyndee objected, saying she was fine. “He’s like – ‘No. You are not really fine,’” Cyndee said of Dr. Junaid’s response.
He was right. In the days before Cyndee’s scheduled heart catheterization, she lost consciousness five times, with her heart stopping for several seconds each time. During this episode, Cyndee lost consciousness behind her desk at work. With Randy’s help again, Cyndee returned to the Blessing Hospital Emergency Center with her heart rate in the lower 30s, her oxygen level in the 70s and her blood pressure through the roof.
A normal adult resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minutes, and normal oxygen level is 95% to 100%. A slow heart rate – known as bradycardia – can be a serious problem because the heart can’t pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
Cyndee’s independence gave way to another feeling on her return visit to the ER.
“I was scared to death. I had never been through anything that scary in my life.”
Cardiologists and electrophysiologists Drs. John Hammock and Oleg Yurevich and cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Cook joined Dr. Junaid in figuring out the best way to treat Cyndee.
“Cyndee’s mother has a history of needing a pacemaker, and the concern was that Cyndee may need one too,” Dr. Junaid stated.
She did. Cyndee received a pacemaker to raise and stabilize her low heart rate.
Independent and healthy
The pacemaker did the trick. After seeing her medical team frequently over the past 15 months, Cyndee has had no episodes of lost consciousness and now only needs to see them annually as her heart is back on track.
She is grateful to all caregivers involved, particularly Ashley Sherwood.
“If she would not have been persistent, it would not have been a good outcome at all,” Cyndee exclaimed. “I am forever grateful to Ashley. I owe my life to her and the whole staff. The Blessing cardiology team is phenomenal, as is all Blessing staff. I was in the best hands possible.”
“I feel incredibly privileged that Cyndee has trusted us with her cardiac care,” Ashley said. “When she experienced bradycardic episodes on multiple occasions, Dr. Junaid was prompt with review, and my job was to communicate the concerns to her with appropriate severity.”
“I believe I was so adamant due to Cyndee’s symptoms being severe. Fainting spells and low heart rate were providing strong evidence that an intervention was needed. She also had a family history of her mother needing bypass surgery and a pacemaker. Cyndee’s symptoms were clearly affecting her everyday life,” Ashley concluded.
Cyndee’s advice to others is to be smart as well as independent when feeling any signs of ill health.
“Do not wait,” Cyndee said. “I was being stubborn. You have one heart. Get it checked out.”
For more information on the care available from the Blessing Heart & Vascular Center, go to blessinghealth.org/heart.