When Charles Faulkner of Stanton, Kentucky woke up in the middle of the night in January with what he thought was indigestion, he had no idea he was experiencing a life-threatening cardiac event. “I just thought it was bad indigestion,” Charles said. “I knew something wasn’t right, so I called my son.” Charles’ son, Logan, who lives beside him, drove him toward Centerpoint Health - Winchester. Charles chose not to call an ambulance. But just miles from the Stanton exit, Charles became unresponsive and suffered a massive heart attack. Logan, a former police officer, immediately pulled over and began CPR. “I truly believe my son saved my life,” Charles shared. “He never gave up on me.” Logan performed CPR for approximately 15 minutes until EMS arrived on scene.

During transport to Centerpoint Health - Winchester, Charles had to be defibrillated. “The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital,” Charles said. Upon arrival, Charles was taken through the Emergency Department where a STEMI Alert was activated and the Cath Lab team responded immediately. Physicians discovered a blockage in the LAD artery — commonly known as the “Widowmaker.” A stent was successfully placed, restoring blood flow. The time from arrival in the Emergency Department to opening the blocked vessel was just 40 minutes — well below the national goal of 90 minutes. “Everybody there was phenomenal,” Charles said. “From the ER staff to the Cath Lab team and the nurses… they took such good care of me. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

Charles was discharged home within 48 hours. Two weeks later, he returned for placement of a second stent in another vessel and was enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation. “Cardiac rehab helped me tremendously,” he said. “I had to pause because of a back injury, but I plan to go back.” Grateful for the care he received, Charles even returned one day with buckets of KFC for the staff. “I appreciate every single one of them,” he said. “The good Lord brought me through this, and I’m thankful every day.” Charles’ story is also a powerful reminder of the importance of CPR training and quick action during a medical emergency. Those first few minutes can truly save a life.

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