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Christine's father, Gerard Garcia
My dad, Gerard Garcia, age 64, was born and raised in Astoria, Queens, NY. He worked for the New York City Transit Authority for 20 years, before finally retiring to Manahawkin, NJ. He married my mom, Cathy Garcia, in 1962, and went on to have three daughters, all of whom live in NJ. He was a great lover of the opera, classical music, literature, and the Yankees (naturally!) He has three granddaughters, who were his pride and joy. He was a healthy man, who never suffered any heart problems previous to his thoracic aneurysm. He was a man of great faith, and his religion was an important part of his life. He was generous, kind and always stood by his kids. We are saddened by his passing, and our lives will never be the same. He will be loved and missed forever.
25 January 2007
On Halloween of 2006, my 64-year old father drove himself to the local ER because he was having chest pains. After spending several hours there, the doctors did the "routine" tests: chest x-ray, blood work, and an EKG, all of which were deemed "normal." They diagnosed him with a condition called "costochondritis," or, an inflammation of the rib cage (whiche he has had before), and recommended that he go home and take Advil for the pain.
Several hours later, he had a "ripping" chest pain and told my mom to call 911. The ambulance came and took him back to that same ER, now with a different doctor, who did a CT scan and saw the aneurysm. My dad was choppered off to a specialty heart hospital in NJ, where they repaired the dissection; however, after the surgery, dad "coded" and developed a blood clot. He must have stroked or something, because for 10 days he was in a coma. Finally, he died on 11/15: brain dead.
I can't help but think that if the doctors during the first ER visit would have been a bit more vigilant in their exam, this wouldn't have happened. My dad literally lost 10 hours between the first and second visit. Since when do people with chest pain got to walk out of a hospital with the same pain they went in with? From reading the various narratives on this site, I see that there are several of you who have been "victims" of a misdiagnosis -- is there anything we can do? Obviously, this happens a lot more often that I ever thought. Every lawyer I spoke to said the same thing "This is a really difficult thing to prove -- would the extra 10 hours really made a difference?" I like to think that it would have!!
I miss my father more and more each day, and I know that my life will never be the same. I'm angry that he wasn't diagnosed earlier; maybe he would still be here today if he had been in the right hands from the start. If anyone has similar issues like mine, please let me know. I feel for each and every one of your losses; believe me, I know what you're going through, and it just isn't fair. Congratulations to all of you who beat the odds...continue to be well!
Discussion, comments, or questions: Christine Mattsson
© Copyright 2007 Christine
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