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URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Charles Goad was having a normal day until he started experiencing a medical episode.
“I think I was in the kitchen, and all of a sudden my chest got real tight and my left arm started tingling,” he said.
Goad and his wife headed to the emergency room. There, Dr. Zak Abdulnabi insisted to Goad he should spend the night.
“I briefly explained to him, I may waste a night of your life and everything may come back alright, but I just had a feeling something was going on,” Abdulnabi said.
Goad was on the fence with the doctor’s advice, but he’s thankful he listened.
“Without the insistence from Dr. Zak I would have left that night from the ER and would have went back to work the next day,” Goad said. “I actually don’t like to think about it because I actually had a 99 percent blockage of my LAD artery, which is the widowmaker.”
The LAD artery is one the main arteries in the heart. His chance of dying if left untreated was almost certain.
“It was like being punched in the gut, it was unbelievable,” Goad said.
Goad found the news of his blockage unbelievable as he exercises daily, eats healthy, and had no underlying conditions. But one box he forgot to check was family history.
Goad’s grateful Dr. Abdulnabi was caring for him.
“I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I left the ER and went back to my normal activities,” Goad said.
He ended up writing about his gratitude to the doctor he believed saved his life.
“A few months later I get this handwritten note in my mailbox,” Abdulnabi said. “It’s him explaining to me that they found a pretty serious blockage in his heart and that he was really thankful for what I did for him. He was thankful I insisted he stay in the hospital and he felt like I saved his life.”
Now, the retired postal worker said he made some small changes to his diet and is appreciating every day a little bit more. But the biggest takeaway for Goad is appreciation for people like Dr. Abdulnabi.
“I would tell him that I think about him often and appreciate what he did for me and my family,” Goad said.
Have a Central Illinois Everyday Hero? Email Brandon at bmerano@wcia.com or message on his Facebook page.
