Nearing the end of his hike to Tinker Cliffs on the Appalachian Trail, Bedford resident John Stafford wouldn’t have known he was suffering a heart attack.
“I was drenched with sweat, but left to myself I would have attributed my exhaustion to dehydration from the hot, humid day.” As fate would have it, two of the members in John’s hiking group were cardiologists who immediately recognized his symptoms.
“Dave was truly a lifesaver – he used his smartwatch to monitor me and drove me directly to the hospital,” John said.
Deeply appreciative of his doctor, John decided to make a gift to the Centra Foundation in his honor.
“I’m more than happy to say how great Centra is – I really mean it – from the initial care I received at Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital, to my treatment in Lynchburg at Stroobants Cardiovascular Center. I’m now doing well in cardiac rehab and hope to return to hiking very soon!”