A Community of Support

A Community of Support | February 2020

Friday, November 15, 2019 began as a typical day.

I was up by 4:45 a.m. and on my way to the shop. The morning went well and I close the shop at noon on Fridays to enjoy the weekend. I drove to the Des Moines area to help my brother-in-law, who just opened his own shop, Iowa Emergency Vehicle Installs. I spent the afternoon with him and drove back home.

Almost home, I began to develop minor heartburn. I got home and told my wife that I wasn’t feeling well. I sat down for a bit as the heartburn got worse. My wife went to work and I told her I’d be fine and that I was going to take a hot bath.

The bath didn’t help. I realized I hadn’t eaten much, so I ate but that didn’t help either. By this time, my heartburn was much worse and I was beginning to think maybe it was more than heartburn. I couldn’t get comfortable. Cody, my 14-year-old son, knew something wasn’t right.

“Dad, you’re not alright, are you?” he asked.

I said, “No, Cody, I’m fine.”

Cody is our soft-hearted worrywart, especially after unexpectedly losing “Papa,” his grandfather, just two years ago. He continued to watch me, and said, “Dad, I know you’re not alright. You look really white. I’m calling Mom!”

I told him not to, but he called her anyway and she stormed through the door soon after. She said we had to go to the hospital, but I only laughed and told her, “No, I’m fine.” (We all know that was a mistake—don’t argue with your wife!) So off to the hospital we go.

I talked her into going to Vinton, the local small town hospital, 15 minutes from home instead of the longer trip to Cedar Rapids to the big hospital. I wasn’t very happy about going to the hospital for something as silly as heartburn, and I told my wife, “This is stupid—I’m going to the hospital for heartburn. They’re going to give me some Tums, charge us $500 and send me home.”

I was wrong. I was rushed to a room and, by this time, I was a little more uncomfortable. A family friend was on the ambulance crew that evening and saw us arrive. She asked me what was going on, came into our room and I could tell by the look she gave my wife after looking at the EKG and my blood pressure that this was serious. My blood pressure spiked at 198/89 and they immediately started IVs and NITRO. I could tell my wife was scared and that this was no joke.

I was rushed by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. My wife said from that point on was like a horror movie or watching an episode of “ER” live. I remember seeing a lot of doctors and nurses rushing around me, and we sped to the heart cath room at Mach 90. I was awake for the most part and remember hearing my cardiologist telling me that I had a heart attack with 100 percent blockage on the right side and 50 percent on the left..

My first thought was, “No way. I’m 47 years old, pretty healthy, and there is no way I’m having a heart attack.” The next thing I remember is being rolled to ICU and seeing my wife, mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, and my nieces. It was just a blur. I remember talking to my wife and saying our prayers and feeling very blessed to be alive. After spending a few days in the hospital and having the time to really think about how lucky I was and how grateful I am to my son for making that phone call to my wife, it puts things in a different perspective. We take so many things for granted, and we really need to take better care of ourselves. 

The outpouring support from everyone at MWACA and my peers in the industry has been amazing and I am truly grateful for the people I have met and who have helped me through this very unexpected setback. 

Al Wright, owner of John’s Automotive in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been in the industry for 32 years. He is also the chapter president of the MWACA Cedar Rapids Chapter, and has been involved in MWACA since 2013, but attended VISION for several years prior.