KALKASKA -- "Heart disease was never on the radar.  I've never been sick, don't have a broken bone, never smoked or drank a drop of alcohol in my life," says Kim Moser of Kalkaska.

Despite having no history of heart disease, Moser had a heart attack in august 2009.

"The day I had my heart attack I was working in the children's garden here in our community and I wasn't feel that well...My husband called me to check an email and finish an article.  As I sat there my arms began to feel achy and jumpy as if I wanted to jump out of my skin," says Moser.

Moser's husband drove her to Kalkaska Memorial Health Center.
       
"I walked into the ER and said 'something is wrong and I need help'...within in moments I was on the table doing blood work , EKGs and seeing heart elevation," says Moser.

She was having a STEMI heart attack, meaning a blood vessel in the heart is completely blocked.  That is the most severe heart attack, so paramedics immediately took her to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.

"The man in the ambulance he was prepared.  He was calm, educated so he knew what was going on.  I had a second heart getting into Traverse City and he said, Mrs.. Moser how are you feeling? I said, 'make it stop! because I knew what that feeling was now,' says Moser.

Dr. Kevin Omilusik is an emergency physician at Munson and says if you're having chest pain, it's always best to call 911 immediately.

"Anybody having chest pain and they can't tell if they're having a STEMI best thing call 911 and that allows paramedics to get to the house. The paramedics can do an EKG which will identify this, can relay that info immediately to the emergency department," says Dr. Omilusik.

It's a work in progress even before the patient arrives because every second counts.

"Our goal is to get that patient to the cath lab to get that vessel open as soon as possible.  We want that done in 90 minutes so if EMS can send us an EKG we can help the patient before they arrive...So sooner the better for the patient," says Dr. Omilusik.

It was this exact plan of action that helped save Kim Moser's life.  It's also something she wants other women to keep in mind.

"There's not a period at the end of my story and I think that's important because a lot of people recover from a broken bone and it heals and they go on with their life, but I have heart disease and always will.  I want to live, really live until I die," says Moser.

For more information about STEMI heart attacks check out Munson Medical Center's website: http://www.munsonhealthcare.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/mhc.woa/wa/PressReleases/DisplayArticle?ref=%2Fcgi-bin%2FWebObjects%2Fmhc.woa%2F1%2Fwa%2FSiteSearchDA%2FFind%3Fq%3Dcardio&uniqueid=1001745