Gerald Thixon

"Trust Your Gut"

Gerald Thixon was working when he first felt the sign of a heart attack. However, he didn’t realize it at the time. It simply felt, he said, like a painful discomfort in his back. Initially, Gerald attributed the pain to the physical demands of being a general contractor. An hour later, the pain had intensified and spread to his chest. His left arm felt weak. It was then that Gerald knew something was wrong. He called his brother for help who later took him to the emergency department at Broward Health Imperial Point.

The medical team determined that Gerald was having a myocardial infarction. This condition was discovered after an electrocardiogram was performed to measure the electrical activity of his heart. He was immediately rushed to the operating room where cardiologist Mammen P. Zachariah, M.D., restored blood flow to two blocked arteries around Gerald’s heart.

Two weeks after surgery, Gerald reported having more energy, and was no longer hindered by the fatigue that had prevented him from fishing, playing tennis and painting murals. Gerald is looking forward to the future, and he's grateful to the team at Broward Health Imperial Point for their fast and passionate care.

"People may not like going to the doctor," Gerald said, "but if the pain is persistent and doesn't go away, make sure to seek treatment. It may be critical."