by Kate Shunney
Donnie Betts isn’t a big fan of hospitals, and likes to spend as little time there as possible.
But he certainly is a fan of the crews on the Hancock Rescue Squad who took him to Meritus Medical Center on April 23, and who saved his life three or four times on the way there.
Betts was actively experiencing what doctors call a “widowmaker” heart attack that day. The survival rate is very low – maybe 1 in 10 people will recover from a cardiac event of that magnitude, Betts’ cardiologist told him later.
Even Captain Casey McKnight, who met the Hancock ambulance in Big Pool to aid in Betts’ care, was surprised that his patient had survived the massive heart attack.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” McKnight said last week when Donnie and Helen Betts came to the Hancock Rescue Squad to thank the crews for their lifesaving work last month.
Donnie Betts had been mowing his lawn that April afternoon when he’d felt a weight on his chest start to grow. Then the sweats began.
At first, he asked his wife Helen to take him to War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs because he didn’t feel right.
Very quickly, he changed his request. She should call 911. He was having a heart attack.
“I knew what it was,” Betts said.
Helen was familiar with the symptoms, too – she had a heart attack the year before.
EMT Mollie Barnhart, who was on Donnie Betts’ call, was familiar with the location of family’s home. She had been on the call for Helen’s heart attack.
Helen Betts said she is thankful her husband agreed to the 911 call and ambulance.
“If I had taken him to Berkeley like he wanted, he would have died in the truck,” she said.
Donnie Betts said that’s why he wanted the ambulance, and why he insisted on walking to meet the crew. He didn’t want his wife to watch him die in front of her eyes.
“I knew I was getting wobbly but I wasn’t going down,” he said.
The fatal heart rhythm that Paramedic Isaiah Hahn picked up on Betts on the ambulance EKG sent up alarms.
“With a rhythm like that, you only have seconds to correct it,” said McKnight.
Knowing the seriousness of Betts’ condition, Hancock’s ambulance crew requested additional help. They gained the hands of Isaiah Neal, FAO/EMT who came with Ambulance 592 that met Company 59 at Big Pool. Capt. McKnight heard the call and met the crews in his EMS unit.
Hahn shocked Betts three times, improving his heart rhythm.
The Meritus cath lab in Hagerstown was awaiting his arrival, armed with the vitals and cardiac monitoring information the ambulance crew had provided.
The timing of the call and the ambulance crew’s response – just minutes from getting the call – made it possible for Betts to make it into the hands of cardiac doctors and a well-equipped hospital that could take over his care.
For the EMS responders, it was a brief but intense call. Once they delivered Betts to Meritus, they didn’t have any more information about his condition. That’s the way EMS often works.
“A lot of times when we drop patients off, we want to know what happens with them. This is one of the few times we get to know the outcome,” the crew told Betts.
“After 30 minutes of us as a family, we just drop you off and it’s over,” said McKnight. “It’s an honor for us to see you today. It’s wonderful to see you up and walking. Stories like this keep us working this job.”
Even after reaching the hospital, Betts’ heart stopped again and he was revived multiple times. He would receive three heart stents to clear his heart blockages.
When Betts visited the Hancock Rescue Squad last Wednesday, he stood talking with the crew, sipping on a cup of coffee and joking about his condition. 
He spent just under five days in Meritus and was insistent the doctors let him go home. For now, he wears a defibrillator vest that monitors his heart rhythms and will administer a shock to his heart if needed.
Betts says he is eager to get back to his normal routine, but acknowledged he has a process of recovery ahead.
He thanked Barnhart, Hahn, Neal and McKnight for their expertise and their work to keep him alive and get him care.
They told him to stop by if he needed a blood pressure check or had any questions as he recovers.
Don’t wait to call
Paramedic Hahn said Betts’ knowledge of the signs of cardiac distress were key to the couple calling 911 quickly and getting a positive outcome.
Helen Betts automatically gave her husband multiple aspirin before the ambulance came.
Hahn encouraged the public to be familiar with the signs of a heart attack and to not wait to call for help. If the Betts’ had delayed getting help, the outcome would have been very different, he said.
“We would much rather you call and we show up, even if turns out to be nothing,” said Barnhart.
The signs of a heart attack can include:
–Chest pain or discomfort
–Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back
–Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulders
— Shortness of breath
— Feeling very tired, lightheaded or faint
— Nausea or vomiting
— Sudden cold sweats.
After calling 911, an emergency telecommunicator will direct the caller to follow certain steps, including administering aspirin and laying a person down on their right side until help arrives.
Hahn said it’s also very helpful when members of the public are trained in First Aid and CPR and in the use of AEDs – automated external defibrillators – which are found in some public places. That knowledge can assist someone in distress until EMS arrives to take over care.