took walks and did home workouts together. Between exercising and eating healthier meals, Gaither lost about 20 pounds.
Alas, diet and exercise proved to be no match for her family history.
That December, doctors found a buildup of plaque around her arteries because of scar tissue from one of the stents. She needed triple bypass surgery to redirect blood around the compromised arteries in the heart.
Life today
Now, 15 years later, Gaither is a decade into retirement from being a school career counselor. She devotes much of her time to abstract painting. She’s working on a large decorative panel for a neighborhood recreation center in Anchorage.
“Painting is sort of my therapy,” she said.
She and Hutchison have remained in touch. Every year around her birthday, she thanks him for enabling her to celebrate that milestone.
Hutchison is now retired, too. After 42 years of flying, he lives in Ogden, Utah. He says helping Gaither was one of the highlights of his career.
“I’ve had to go through a quadruple bypass myself, so that’s another bonding issue we have,” Hutchison shares. With a laugh, he adds, “I’m a mess, but thank God I was able to help Vonnie.”
Gaither takes medication to keep her cholesterol and blood pressure down, as well as blood thinners. She sees a cardiologist every six months. She recently learned she has the early stage of another blockage.
She acknowledges she’s struggled to sustain the healthier lifestyle she adopted following her heart attack. She’s gotten away from eating healthier meals and has been less active, gaining back the weight she’d lost.
“I know I need to exercise more,” Gaither says. “It’s hard to stay motivated, but my two grandsons give me a good reason.”
Now that travel is again picking up amid the pandemic, Gaither hopes to visit more friends and family, including those grandsons; they’re Registe’s boys, and the family lives in Las Vegas.
Whenever Gaither travels, she’ll continue the game plan she’s followed ever since her heart attack and cardiac arrest. She’ll be avoiding Salt Lake City.
Heart attack vs. cardiac arrest
Symptoms of a heart attack can be immediate and intense. However, symptoms typically start slowly and persist for hours, days or weeks before a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association. Unlike sudden cardiac arrest, the heart usually does not stop beating during a heart attack.
Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), AHA notes. As a result, the heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs. This can cause a person to lose consciousness and have no pulse.
Sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack, or during recovery.
Even if you aren’t sure whether someone is suffering from a heart attack or cardiac arrest, you should call 911 or your emergency response number immediately. Fast action is important and can save a loved one’s life.
By American Heart Association