“The event that happened that day is a testimony. It was a privilege to see Jason walk through the ER doors to thank the staff that saved his life.” – Angela and Jason Abernathy to Tidelands Health

Jason Abernathy never figured he’d feel grateful walking into a hospital emergency department.

But shortly after getting lifesaving care at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital in Murrells Inlet, he was eager to return and personally thank the emergency department care team for the quick action and coordinated efforts with specialists at Tidelands Health that saved his life.

On April 24, 2025, Jason survived what’s known as a widowmaker heart attack, a type of cardiac event that’s often fatal without immediate intervention.

You know when you’re in a life-or-death situation, time is of the essence,” Jason said. “People don’t survive what I survived. I am very thankful.”

When Jason first felt chest tightness on a Tuesday afternoon, he brushed it off as heartburn. But by Thursday morning, the pain had intensified.

“I had sharp pain in my chest area, pains going down both arms and up into my neck area,” Jason said. “That’s when I knew something was really wrong.”

His wife, Angela, a registered nurse for 27 years, recognized the signs immediately. She quickly drove Jason to the emergency department at Tidelands Waccamaw.

“They just kind of pulled me back,” Jason said. “I’ve never seen so many people in a room.”

Among those working that night was Jessica Nelson, an emergency department nurse.

“Any time someone signs in with chest pain, you want to get them back as quickly as possible because you have a certain time to get that EKG done,” Nelson said. “That’s basically our first line to figure out if something truly cardiac is going on.”

The EKG confirmed it: Jason was having a heart attack. The team immediately activated a STEMI call, a protocol that mobilizes the cardiac catheterization team to treat heart attacks as quickly as possible.

“If you hear STEMI, you drop what you’re doing,” Nelson said. “We have really good teamwork here at Tidelands Health. Whether it’s the doctors, the nurses, the secretary –they all play a huge part in getting our transport, getting that EKG to the cardiologist and getting the cath lab team ready.”

Jason was transported to Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital, which has a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab. Alerted by the Tidelands Waccamaw emergency department team that Jason was on his way, Dr. Nitesh Ainani, a cardiologist, and the cath lab team were already prepared and ready to act quickly as soon as Jason arrived.

“Our bodies build up plaque in the coronary arteries when we have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking and other risk factors,” Dr. Ainani said. “When the plaque breaks loose, it forms a blood clot. Within minutes, the artery shuts down.”

That’s why you hear the saying “time is tissue” in cases of heart attacks and strokes.

“From the patient arriving at the emergency department to opening the artery should be less than 90 minutes,” Dr. Ainani said. “Every minute the artery is closed, you have surrounding heart muscle that’s gone.”

The care team’s rapid response saved Jason’s life.

Not long after experiencing the heart attack, Jason was back in the emergency department at Tidelands Waccamaw – this time walking in on his own to share his deep appreciation for the team of health care professionals whose quick action saved him.

It’s rare for emergency department team members to see a patient again after they’ve provided needed care. That made Jason’s surprise visit to say thank you in person even more meaningful.

“It was very nice that he wrote the letter and then we got to see him in person,” Nelson said. “Once they leave our doors, we don’t see them again. As the primary nurse, you’re getting his IVs in, you’re medicating him, you’re calling the cath lab, and it happens so quickly.

“We don’t do it for the thanks. We do it for him to be taken care of. But it is nice to have that recognition.”