Cardiac Care Staff: “100 – 200 – 300 per cent good”

In May last year, 92-year-old Mackay resident Claire McDonald called for an ambulance. At the time, Claire lived alone and wasn’t able to catch her breath that night.

“I had a heart attack, but I didn’t know I was having a heart attack,” Claire recalled.

Claire was brought to Mackay Base Hospital by paramedics before being transferred to the Cardiac Care Unit.

“The ambulance men were very nice to me and settled me down though I don’t remember a lot.”

Claire underwent an insertion of a stent, a small mesh tube that aids in holding open narrow passages in weak or narrowed arteries, restoring blood flow.

“I can’t find the words to express how thankful I am … all the staff were just exceptional,” she said.

“From the time they pushed that bed from the ambulance to the hospital, till the day the female doctor came around in the morning and said, ‘you can go home today’, they did nothing but 100 – 200 – 300 per cent good!

“You could not complain.”

Claire has since returned to her South Mackay home and enjoys regular care from the Community Health and Therapy Services (CHATS) and attends a weekly fall and balance group.

She’s doing well in her classes according to physiotherapist Michael Dalton, but she’s a bit annoyed that she’s still feeling ‘a bit weak’.

“I've neglected my unit for the simple reason that I've had to put me before the house,” Claire said.

“I like things neat and clean, so I was a fanatic in the house.

“When I have my next appointment with the doctor, I’m going to ask him for a tonic.”

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Claire McDonald is grateful to the staff in the CCU of Mackay Base Hospital. Photo supplied

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