{"id":25547,"date":"2019-07-26T10:18:01","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T16:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=25547"},"modified":"2025-01-22T09:00:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:00:21","slug":"a-heart-attack-at-age-36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/a-heart-attack-at-age-36\/","title":{"rendered":"A heart attack at age 36?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Dominique
Dominique and Alicia Waithe-Cunningham share a tender moment. Dominique suffered a heart attack at the age of 36. Photos by Mark Reis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dominique Waithe-Cunningham, a young Air Force Tech Sergeant stationed at the Air Force Academy, had just finished his annual PT test on June 6.<\/p>\n

He had completed 48 pushups within a minute\u2019s time and 47 sit-ups a minute, better than he had done in previous years. He was in terrific shape and the impressive finish on pushups and sit-ups gave him confidence for the 1.5-mile run.<\/p>\n

He ran the course and did well, but he began to feel pressure in his chest. He attributed it to Colorado\u2019s high altitude and drove home, but he didn\u2019t feel like himself. Overheated and sweating profusely, Dominique decided to take a shower to cool off. He knew something was wrong and sent a text to his wife.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Dominique\u2019s son, Christian Waithe-Cunningham, 16, received a text from his mother, Alicia, which he thought was a bit odd. \u201cGo check on your father,\u2019\u2019 it read.<\/p>\n

Christian ran up the stairs of their home and found his 36-year-old father on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s talking and what not; he is just kind of out of it a lot. He\u2019s sweating and he\u2019s struggling. He says he needs to go the hospital,\u2019\u2019 Christian recalled. He ran downstairs and asked his cousin to drive them to the hospital. The two helped Dominique into the back of the car and rushed to UCHealth Memorial Hospital North<\/a>. Dominique was having trouble breathing and could muster only a few words: \u201cAre we almost there? Are we almost there?\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Memorial Hospital North<\/h3>\n

At the hospital, Dominique was placed in a wheelchair and rushed to a treatment room where he was quickly evaluated by the Emergency staff and an EKG was performed. Minutes later the EKG came through on the paging system of Dr. Christopher Manhart<\/a>, the interventional cardiologist. The EKG clearly showed a complete occlusion of the left anterior descending artery consistent with an acute anterior wall myocardial infarction. Without emergency intervention, a blockage in the LAD can be fatal, earning it the \u201cwidowmaker\u2019\u2019 moniker.<\/p>\n

In the emergency room, Dominique\u2019s heart went into a deadly rhythm known as ventricular tachycardia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dominique
Christian Waithe-Cunningham played an instrumental role in saving the life of his father, Dominique Waithe-Cunningham, who had a heart attack after an annual PT test.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSo, he went cold,\u2019\u2019 Christian said of his father. \u201cThey had like six or seven doctors in there. And they opened the door because I was about to be let back in and me and my cousin were out there and then the beeper on the machine went off. And they closed the door and did whatever they do behind those doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat messed me up because he went cold or whatever you call it. It was weird because I was thinking, \u2018What would I do without my dad?\u2019\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

A heart attack?<\/h3>\n

Staff and physicians at Memorial Hospital North performed CPR and defibrillation and were able to resuscitate Dominique. He’s had a heart attack. Within minutes, they wheeled him into a cardiac catheterization<\/a> lab. Dr. Manhart had identified by the angiogram that plaque build-up inside the artery ruptured and a blood clot stuck to the plaque, restricting blood flow. With a series of balloons and a stent, the blockage was treated and normal flow was restored to the coronary artery. \u201cWe had a lot of fast-moving parts. We had a lot of people in and out of the room. We went right up with the catheter and got that vessel open to restore blood flow,\u2019\u2019 Dr. Manhart recalled.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately after a stent was inserted into Dominique\u2019s artery, he felt better.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a heart attack never crossed my mind,\u2019\u2019 Dominique said. \u201cI\u2019m too young. I had been working out, I had been running on the exact same track and I felt great.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dominique and Alicia Waithe-Cunningham July 21, 2019 with their sons Cameron, 10, and Christian, 16. Photo by Mark Reis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the ICU, Dominique was up and talking soon after the stent procedure. \u201cThe nurses were like, \u2018You know what happened, right?\u2019 And I said, \u2018yes. I\u2019m grateful. I can breathe; I can talk. I made it. And after finding out what happened on the way to the operating table, I can be nothing but appreciative and grateful. It was an experience that I wish I didn\u2019t have to go through, but I\u2019m grateful for the staff,\u2019\u2019 Dominique said. \u201cThey clearly saved my life.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

In retrospect<\/h3>\n

Looking back, Dominique knows that he should have dialed 911 when he began to feel pain in his chest. He should have taken an ambulance to the hospital. Perhaps he should have stopped running during his PT test when he felt pressure in his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the future, I\u2019ll be listening to everything that my body tells me, everything that is not normal,\u2019\u2019 he said. He said he will be less stubborn about going to the doctor. \u201cYour pride can have consequences. I felt it before I got in the shower. I know I am not what you would think of if you thought of someone who would have a heart attack. Go get checked out. Don\u2019t let your pride make you suffer the ultimate consequence for no good reason. It\u2019s not worth it. It\u2019s not,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Chris Manhart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alicia, Dominique\u2019s wife, said she\u2019ll always be grateful that her husband was close to the hospital and that her son got him to Memorial North safely. \u201cIt\u2019s surreal. I definitely value our marriage more. I worry. I want to make sure he has his medicine and he\u2019s doing alright, and I\u2019m checking on him,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cWe are very grateful for everyone who has been so supportive. His job was amazing. The day it happened, they put a meal train in place and they brought us meals every single day.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Christian and his little brother, Cameron, still have their dad. \u201cI appreciate him more,\u2019\u2019 Christian said. \u201cI try not to get on his nerves as much, but kids are kids. I try to leave him alone maybe a little more at night, and not raise his blood pressure so much. I appreciate him more now.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Cholesterol, genetics and high blood pressure<\/h3>\n

Manhart, who works at the UCHealth Heart Center – Memorial Hospital North<\/a>, \u00a0said cholesterol, genetics and high blood pressure play significant roles in heart disease. In Dominique\u2019s case, the blockage may not have shown up on a stress test or EKG.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where the foundation for cardiovascular disease treatment starts with a good diet, exercise, a healthy weight, blood pressure control and cholesterol control,\u2019\u2019 Dr. Manhart said.<\/p>\n

Only a week after the heart attack, Dominique turned 37. A few days later, the family celebrated Father\u2019s Day. \u201cUsually, it\u2019s not that big of a deal. It\u2019s not even a holiday and I don\u2019t want anybody to make a big deal about it. But this Father\u2019s Day, just the fact that I\u2019m here, it was better than anything, just being here. \u201cI appreciated being a father more than any other year. I don\u2019t take it for granted, and I personally think that I have been doing a good job. Knowing how close I was to not being here, it\u2019s put everything into perspective \u2013 my whole outlook on everything. I was gone,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dominique Waithe-Cunningham, a young Air Force Tech Sergeant stationed at the Air Force Academy, had just finished his annual PT test on June 6. He had completed 48 pushups within a minute\u2019s time and 47 sit-ups a minute, better than he had done in previous years. He was in terrific shape and the impressive finish […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":25552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[3512,82,21],"class_list":["post-25547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-heart-and-vascular-care-cardiovascular","tag-heart-and-vascular-care-cardiology","tag-southern-colorado"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA heart attack at age 36? - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dominique Waithe-Cunningham, an Air Force Tech Sergeant, never imagined he would have a heart attack at age 36. 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