Alvin Zak’s Medical Journey
By Wendy Swat Snyder
It began as an ordinary day. A softball game in Park Circle. A haircut, and then home. But Alvin Zak never made it home, and remembers nothing about the event that came close to being terminal for the 77-year-old.
“He had a widowmaker,” said his wife Florence Zak, filling in the details for him of that life-altering day in October of 2019. Alvin had just gotten on the road after getting a haircut and was behind the wheel when he had a myocardial infarction — one of the deadliest kinds of heart attack.
Immediate treatment is crucial for a chance at survival.
“He was very healthy, didn’t smoke and was very active, so this really came as a shock,” Florence Zak said.
Alvin managed to guide the car to the side of the road before losing consciousness. By sheer luck, a passing driver witnessed his struggle and rushed to the still-running car, where he sat hunched over the steering wheel.
“She couldn’t get inside, but immediately called 911,” recalls Florence. “If it were not for that young woman, he would not be here.”
Minutes later paramedics were there, broke through the car’s rear window and began working on him before rushing him to Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). This life-threatening attack is caused by a blockage in the left anterior descending artery, the biggest artery in the heart.
“When I got home from work and he wasn’t there, I didn’t think too much of it,” said Florence. “But as the evening wore on, I started to become very concerned, because I hadn’t heard anything and that’s not like him. I finally got a call around ten o’clock and rushed to MUSC.”
It just so happened that someone who worked at MUSC recognized Alvin as the father of one of their friends. That person called their friend to say their father may be in the hospital. Word then got to Florence to come to the hospital immediately.
“Someone was watching over him. He had a guardian angel,” Florence said.
Alvin was in ‘full code,’ meaning no heartbeat and not breathing when the car stopped and paramedics found him. The medical team wasn’t sure of the extent of damage the heart attack had caused, but against all odds, they made the critical decision to operate. A stent was inserted into Alvin’s blocked artery to improve blood flow, and his heart responded. A pacemaker would come later, and then a cardiac ablation. His doctors, Dr. Anbukarasi Maran, M.D. a cardiologist and interventional cardiologist, and Dr. Michael Field, M.D.an electrophysiology specialist, have given him a good prognosis.
Rehabilitation and Recovery
But his recovery would be a journey: During his five-plus week long stay in the hospital, he was bedridden and lost over 20 pounds. He developed pneumonia. He eventually was able carry on a conversation with friends who visited, but has no recollection of what he’d said.
“My first memory was waiting in a wheelchair for Flo to pick me up and take me to Wellmore,” says Alvin. He was scheduled to receive a six-week course of rehab nursing care at the Daniel Island health facility.
“The therapists at Wellmore were great,” said Alvin. “The therapists there worked closely with me to regain my muscle strength so I could start to walk.”
His cardiovascular strength improved under the careful monitoring at MUSC Cardio Rehab. Florence provided round-the-clock care, both encouraging his progress and acting as a gatekeeper to avoid overexertion.
Alvin credits his entire team for their comprehensive and proactive approach to his treatment plan. During a regular x-ray screening post-pneumonia, his pulmonary specialist spotted an irregularity — not in his lungs, but in his kidneys. He immediately sent Alvin to a urologist.
A Second Health Crisis Revealed
“I found out that my left kidney was only functioning at 50 percent,” says Alvin.
He went through a year-and-a-half of stent placements for the kidney blockage until the doctors felt he was well enough sustain the full surgical intervention.
“During surgery, what they thought was a hernia was a large section that had collapsed. Six and a half hours later, it was successfully repaired. But they still keep an eye on that kidney,” he said.
Alvin muses about how a near-fatal heart attack probably saved his life by bringing attention to the problem with his kidney.
“It’s actually a special moment in my life, learning about all the people who cared about me, their prayers, I’ll never forget,” he said.
Two things kept him going through the ordeal: “One, I wanted to get back to playing softball,” he says with a smile. “The other was that I wanted to be able to go dancing with my wife again.”
The couple will never forget the swift actions taken by the good Samaritan they’re convinced saved Alvin’s life.
“We’ve become friends,” says Florence. “We went to her daughter’s high school graduation party.”
A widowmaker heart attack threw the Zak’s lives into uncertainty on October 22, 2019. By April of 2020, Alvin was fit to return to the softball field. Today, their lives are back to normal: the couple belongs to a wine club and they are regulars on the dance floor at both the West Ashley Elks Club and Summerville Shag Club.
