CMYK Thursday, September 3, 2015
features After today Heart attack brings health into view for Ricky Fitzpatrick His story continues with... CHAPTER THREE: Something’s Got To Give So finally putting my pride aside, about two miles down the road, I finally gave in and told my wife “I can’t take it any more.” (Aka, the first smart thing I had done all day.) And with that, she kicked into action and headed in the direction of the nearest hospital. As fate would have it, we “coincidentally” pulled off the interstate, just a few miles from the nearest ER. Another of what we’ve come to regard as “God’s perfect setup.”. We headed toward the ER right away, following the hospital signs, and never more thankful for that wise use of our tax dollars. As we arrived, the pain was subsiding, and frankly, I considered heading back to the interstate. Still, I went in while Cretia parked. As I entered the doorway, I immediately noticed a dozen or more people already waiting to be seen. My first thought was “This is going to take for freaking ever.” Nevertheless, I actually sounded like he was going to call the whole thing off and send us home, and I was thrilled! But again, it felt like I was going to be even more embarrassed because we’d set off a bomb, and now it looked like we might have been all for naught. According to the doctor, they had gotten my bloodwork back and there was no indication that this might be my heart. My understanding is that when damage occurs (aka, a heart attack), the heart secretes some kind of chemical that shows up under certain tests in the blood. So far, that chemical had not been detected. So far, so good, although my kids were noticeably shaken by the whole experience. Cretia seemed steady as a rock, but inside, I later learned that she was freaking out. But the good news was, it looked like I was probably going home with not much more than a bruised ego and a hefty Emergency Room bill. One last precaution though, would be to give me a few Nitroglycerin tablets, just to be safe. The Nitro, which we all know, is taken if you’re having a heart attack. I don’t know what it does, but apparently, it saves your life, until help can arrive. In my case, it was supposed to help reveal whatever might be hiding from us. I assume for heart attack victims, the Nitro helps to quickly expand the arteries which would allow any minor blockages to move on and restore bloodflow. But for me, I think the idea was to use it to hopefully prove that nothing was wrong. Or poke things until something got mad. So the RN came back in with the pills. One tablet. We chit-chat and wait about five minutes to see what happens. Nothing. Second tablet. We wait. Again, nothing. And by now, I’m thinking the danger has passed. I haven’t had any pains in well over half an hour. Not even a hint of anything. I’m virtually certain by now that this has all been a false alarm. I take the third and final tablet. We wait. And wait. Nothing. 10, 20, 30 seconds. One minute. Nothing. A minute, 15. Nothing. And we were just about to say “I’m sorry” to everyone and head on our merry way...when it hit. About a minute and a half after that third nitro tablet, God released the hounds. The floodgates opened and the pain started building in my chest, like an ominous tidal wave of weight and nails and broken glass, like I had never felt before. It was consuming me, and it wasn’t stopping. I felt like my chest
Ricky Fitzpatrick Featured columnist was being ripped apart in slow, torturous pieces, and before long I couldn’t hold back huge sobs and gasps of air, at least when my body would allow it. The RN asked me what my pain level was on a scale of one to 10. “A 12,” I cried. It was easily a 12. And growing. It was getting worse and worse. Every time I thought “I can’t take this anymore”, the pain would ratchet up another notch. Then when I thought it was all I could bear, the pain would intensify, again. And again. And more. By this time, I could no longer sit upright, and I was either doubled over or curled up in the fetal position, struggling to find a position that would take the edge off. But nothing was working. Nothing was helping. This had to be how Job felt when God allowed him to be tested. I wondered if God had also abandoned me. I thought for an instant, that this torment could be Hell. It was beyond any expectation I could have had. I felt like I was on fire and burning up from the inside. It was the absolute worst pain I have ever felt. No, it was beyond the worst pain I have ever imagined I could feel. If God was pushing me, I was definitely getting the point now. The kids came in, saw me, and honestly were terrified. Cretia was helpless (although incredibly, strong. Five minutes in, 10, 12...it was still building. And building. Finally, I was truly afraid, and for the first time, I honestly thought I might be about to die. That was my turning point, as the doctor sort of flamboyantly threw back the curtain and announced “We’re getting ready to lifeflight you to Columbia.” CHAPTER FOUR: The Only Way To Fly As the doctor completely blew us out of the water with the air-lift announcement, I looked at Cretia and wondered if we had just shared our last day together. I was suddenly very afraid of dying, and assumed that I was about to do exactly that. The thing about fearing death…it’s hard to explain. It’s easy to talk about being “ready” when you’re here and the other side is waaaay over there, years and years down the road. I guess that’s why we’re all so full of ourselves when we’re young. But let the moment rush up and stare you, point blank, in the eye and things get very different, very fast. So as the feeling took a strong hold of me, I looked at Cretia, steadied myself and said “I’m not ready to go.” She immediately straightened up, looked at me with a serious stare and asked “What do you mean?” I knew then that she thought I meant spiritually, I wasn’t ready to go. That I wasn’t ready to meet God. I didn’t mean that at all, actually! The one encouraging realization, in the middle of all this chaos and upheaval, was the certainty that I had about dying. Looking back, I notice that the fear of death, as in not knowing what my future might hold, wasn’t a concern.
See AFTER TODAY, 4B
3B
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS Free adult Spanish classes. The Jefferson Public Library will be offering a free beginners adult Spanish class which will run Thursdays in September from 5-6 p.m. The class will be offered Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Call the library at 706-367-8012 to reserve your spot. West Jackson Fire open house. The West Jackson Fire Department is hosting an open house at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the fire station in advance of the fire board’s 7 p.m. meeting which will include discussion of the fire tax rate which generates revenue for the department’s operations. The West Jackson area is invited to the open house and fire board meeting. Find Jack on the Jackson County Antiques & Arts Trail. Do you love antique shopping? Are you looking for a fun activity for you or your family to do while antiquing? Come to Jackson County and see if you can find Jack. If you fill out your passport and turn it in you will be entered into a quarterly drawing to win a $100 gift certificate. Visit www. tourjacksoncounty.com/
antiques-and-art-trail.html for details. History walking tours. Free history walking tours will be offered each Friday during September in downtown Braselton. Tours will begin promptly on the hour at 6 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 11 and at 5 p.m. on Sept. 18 and 25 at the Braselton Downtown Development office at 65 Frances St. Learn more about downtown Braselton at www.DowntownBraselton.com and follow at www.Facebook/ DowntownBraselton. You can call 706-684-0369. Historical Society meeting. The Jackson County Historical Society will meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, at Willoughby Park, located at 338 Clayton St., in Commerce. A hot dog picnic will be enjoyed by members and prospective members who are interested in joining the historical society. Due, which run from September to September, are $15 for individuals, $25 for family and $100 for Life members. You can mail dues to the Jackson County Historical Society, P.O. Box 1234, Com-
merce, GA 30529. Volunteers needed. Food 2 Kids Jackson County needs volunteer drivers for one day each week to pick up food at Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and deliver to schools. Several different routes available. Must have valid drivers license and insurance. Call Sherry at 770-656-6028 for more information. Braselton Farmers Market. Visit the market every Friday from 4-7 p.m. between now and Oct. 16. Located on Harrison Street between Davis and Frances streets, the market attracts a variety of vendors with fresh-picked vegetables, home-crafted jellies and jams and more. Jefferson Farmers Market. The Jefferson Farmers Market is in full swing with fresh products from local vendors offering fresh vegetables fruits, jams and jellies, baked goods and more. The market is held on Saturdays on the square in downtown Jefferson. Cruise-in. American Street Rodders host cruise-ins on the first Saturday of each month from April through October on City Square in
Hoschton, beginning at 5 p.m. The annual car show will be held in conjunction with the Hoschton Fall Festival which will be Sept. 25-27. South Hall Rotary 5K. The second annual South Hall Rotary 5K will be held beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Flowery Branch. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County, University of North Georgia scholarship fund and other local charities. Registration is now $25 with walk-up registration of $30 beginning at 6 a.m. on the day of the officiallytimed 5K, which begins at 5117 Main St., in Flowery Branch. Send your check to South Hall Rotary, 4977 Lanier Islands Parkway Suite 11, Buford, GA 30518. Peace Place Drive Out Domestic Violence golf tournament. On Sept. 10 at The Chimneys Golf Course in Winder, the Drive Out Domestic Violence four-person scramble golf tournament to end domestic violence will be held benefitting Peace Place. The event will tee off at 1:30 p.m. and entry is $75 per person or $300 per team with mulligans and spring See HAPPENINGS, 5B
For The Paper
Roy Wallis blows out his birthday candles as Danell Baber (his third child), Grant Wallis (fifth child and Joy’s father), Wayne Wallis (his fourth child) and Donna McMillian (second child) watch.
Great Generation Celebration
A granddaughter’s love inspires her to create a most memorable birthday for her World War II grandfather
By LEANNE AKIN
lakin@clickthepaper.com
Joy Wallis was on a hospitality management internship at the BraseltonStover House and saw it as the perfect venue for a special event. She is now working an internship at Disney World in Florida and reflecting on the birthday party which celebrated her grandfather’s 91st birthday in July. Roy Wallis and his wife Evelyn had five children but one died at birth. She was pregnant when her husband was called into service. While in the Philippines, his lip was injured by a sniper’s bullet and sustained a concussion from a near-miss mortar explo-
For The Paper
Roy Wallis, shown with granddaughter Joy, shows emotions at seeing the 1941 picture of him and his wife (below, displayed on a stalk of cotton.) He made the comment, “I wish she could be here to see all of this.” (R) Soldier Wallis in his uniform. sion. During his recovery, he contacted malaria and got sent to Daytona Beach, Fla., for treatment. He was discharged on Sept.
28, 1945 and their first child was born five days later but died. He would contract malaria again from a doctor’s contaminated needle but was successfully treated at the VA hospital in Atlanta. The Wallis family would also have two daughters and two sons. Joy is the 10th and youngest grandchild and there are lots of great-grandchildren. The second oldest daughter, Danell, has written several stories about her father’s life which were shared at the party where his military service honors, including a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, were displayed.
The family wanted to have a special get-together her grandfather’s 90th birthday but they just couldn’t get it planned but he was the grand marshal of the Dacula Memorial Day parade in 2014. Joy took it upon herself to coordinate the entire surprise celebration this year and handled all the work. “I like doing crafts and so I made all the decorations,” said Joy, who has an etsy account. Her internship supervisor who hired her on past her internship, Laura Collier of the Braselton-Stover House, said Joy got many
See BIRTHDAY, 4B