Heart attack treatment saves NHP golfer’s life

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Kevin Kapela said he felt an immediate tightness in his chest and arms after his final drive on the ninth and final hole at Christopher Morley Golf Course in Roslyn in March.

The 64-year-old New Hyde Park resident said he attributed the pain toputting more muscle into his first shot at the 227-yard par 4 hole.

“I wasn’t keeping score,” Kapela said. “But I never lost my ball.”

But after experiencing shortness of breath, without a golf cart, Kapela made it back to his car and rushed over to the Sandra Atlas Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital.

Kapela’s quick judgment, good luck and a revolutionary treatment at the hospital would save his life. He would soon learn he was having a deadly heart attack, known as a “widowmaker.”

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