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Dear Editor,

For those of you that worry about the quality of care that you might receive at our local hospital — “Don’t!”

At 4 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2024, I was awakened by the onset of severe left anterior chest pain. After trying antacids and Nexium to no avail and being the astute physician that I am, I finally said to myself

“Fool, you might be having a heart attack—Get to the emergency room!

My wife quickly got me there where I was met by Dr. Steve Avezanno, the physician on duty. An EKG confirmed I was having an anterior myocardial infarction. Dr. Raul Pinon, another ER physician, came on duty at the same time. They gave me nitroglycerin, morphine and a fibrinolytic agent (“clot-buster”). They also called in Dr. Steve Allyn, our cardiologist and his cath team including Ann Bradford Kennedy, Patrick Williams, and Hannah West.

Within an hour and a half after driving into the ER, I was in the cath lab.

Dr. Allyn found a 95% blockage in the left anterior descending artery affectionately known as “The Widow-maker.” He quickly ballooned and stinted the blockage. I spent the next 24 hours in our fine ICU, where I was cared for by compassionate and efficient nurses, Rusty, Scott and Gina.

Again, Thank you to physicians, nurses, and auxiliary staff at the Vaughan Regional Medical Center for taking such good care of me and literally saving my life!

Nicholas A. Knight, M.D.