VALENTINE’S DAY FEATURE

 
For immediate release
February 5, 2009

For more information contact
Marketing Strategies, Inc.
Denise Blackburn, APR or Sarah George, APR
(843) 692-9662
pr@marketingstrategiesinc.com

Matters of the Heart

Marion, SC--February has a special meaning for Dale Bellamy.  It’s not just Valentine’s Day, it’s Heart Month, a month that has become very important to the Bellamys.

Since Dale’s heart attack nearly fourteen months ago, he sees things a little differently. Everyday is a new opportunity to give thanks for what he describes as “a second chance on life”, and to share his life and his love with those who mean the most to him.

Aside from his family, Dale holds a special place in his heart for the emergency professionals of Marion Regional Healthcare System. Dale is quick to credit them for his new lease on life and he is quick to share his ‘heart’-warming story.

Dale Bellamy can tell you firsthand that when he came to Marion Regional Healthcare Center that fateful day in December, he wasn’t planning on receiving medical care.  Simply by chance, he had decided to accompany his wife on her visit, a decision that saved his life.

While Dale and his wife waited in the lobby, he experienced a heart attack that could have been fatal had it not been for a team of trained professionals and a program called “Code Sunshine”.

Within minutes of collapse, Dale was surrounded by experts who knew just what to do.  Through the assistance of an Automated External Defibrillator, (AED), a portable automatic device used to restore normal heart rhythm to patients in cardiac arrest, Dale’s heartbeat resumed and he was whisked away for further tests and treatment.  While team members worked fervently on Dale, others comforted his wife providing assurance and support.

“Code Sunshine”, dubbed such by an Emergency Room nurse, was developed to meet the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, (EMTALA), which states that hospital systems must be able to provide emergency care within 500 yards of their facility.  In the case of Marion Regional Healthcare System, that includes any emergency that happens outside of the clinical setting.  In Dale’s case, it was the lobby.

Dale Bellamy’s story has a happy ending.  He has returned to work and has resumed the activities that he previously enjoyed.  According to him, the difference is in the way he lives his life.  “I’m a little more thankful, and a little more conscious of that fist-sized organ that means the difference between life and death,” he said.
 

Dale and Sara Bellamy enjoy every minute together.  Thanks to the professionals at Marion Regional Healthcare System, they have a new lease on life!