OCALA STAR-BANNER – Registered Nurse Morgan Ragsdale said it was the best “thank you” she’s ever gotten.
Ragsdale and about 65 fellow members of the AdventHealth Ocala Cardiovascular Services team were treated to lunch on June 9 by former heart surgery patient Jay Cowart and his Sweet Baby Cheeses – yes, that’s the name – food truck.
“The team saved my life and I attribute the short recovery time to being comfortable with the care. I’m definitely up to 100% now and doing the work I love and my daily activities. Saving my heart helped my family and friends who depend upon us, too,” Cowart said.
The 30-foot lunch truck parked next to the hospital, 1500 SW First Ave., Ocala, and provided a thank you meal of brisket atop macaroni and cheese with “yum-yum” sauce and chicken atop macaroni and cheese.
Room for dessert? Brownies!
Members of the hospital’s Cardiac Cath Lab (CCL), Cardiovascular Operating Room (CVOR) and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), were served. Some team members dressed in green scrubs lined up at the food truck and others had food delivered into the hospital.
Marcy Sieradski, manager of the CCL, CVOR and CVICU, said the teams, under Director Lynn Smith, work together to assist each patient.
Cowart, 59, had no history of heart trouble. But in February he began to feel excessive fatigue.
His primary care doctor scheduled a stress test for March 7. During the session, Cowart had to be transported to AdventHealth Ocala hospital’s emergency department by ambulance.
On March 8, Cowart was treated in the Cardiac Cath Lab, where heart artery blockages were found. He underwent surgery on March 10. His surgeon was AdventHealth cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. James Lonquist.
“(Cowart’s) prognosis is excellent,” Lonquist said on June 9 during the “thank you” lunch … READ MORE.
