Thomas Christie

Thomas Christie and his wife are snowbirds from Canada. The 60–year-old retired from the City of Toronto and volunteers with the Clarington Emergency and Fire Service when back up north. While visiting Florida over the winter months, Thomas began to feel as though he was having indigestion. He also noticed that a tingling feeling would come and go from his hands occasionally. Initially, he thought he pulled something in his hands after the strenuous activity that is involved in fighting fires and moving hoses along with other large pieces of equipment while working with the Clarington Emergency and Fire Service. One night, Thomas was walking the dog and struggled to get back home due to the tingling feelings that he was experiencing throughout his body. Thomas first went to a walk in clinic in where an EKG was conducted. Upon review of that EKG, Thomas was advised to visit an emergency room. Thomas first went to West Marion Hospital where the staff promptly ran blood tests which revealed that his cardiac enzymes were elevated. He was taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory where he was found to have some severe blockages in his coronary arteries. Thomas was transferred via critical care transport to West Marion's sister facility, Ocala Hospital. There, he met with the cardiothoracic surgery team, led by Dr. Omeni Osian and it was determined that a coronary artery bypass (CABG) was the best treatment option for him. At Ocala Hospital, Dr. Osian performed a double bypass (CABG) on Thomas. The surgery went extremely well, and his heart muscle sustained no irrepairable damage from the blockages that had been present prior to surgery. “When I woke up, I was relieved,” Thomas said. “I saw my wife, and I knew I was alive.” Now, several months after Thomas' procedure, he says he “feels like a million bucks.” Thomas is eating better, following the advice of his physicians, and doing the recommended exercises to keep his heart healthy. Thomas says he would highly recommend Ocala Hospital and Dr. Osian to anyone that has a heart issue. “I am so thankful to Ocala Regional for saving my life and giving me a second chance as I should not survived my attack. The hospital was superior to any hospital I had ever seen in my life. The nurses, doctors, technicians and everyone else involved showed me so much care, compassion and professionalism.”