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St. Joseph's Hospital

Celebrating one life, saving another

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The day began with a festive feel.

Christine O’Connor, her husband Paul and their son Sean, of Lutz, had gone to an 80th birthday party for Christine’s mom.

Great care had been taken to ensure that Connie Kubiak’s milestone celebration on July 26 would be special.

A dozen people — mostly immediate family — were at the birthday gathering at Connie and Carl Kubiak’s home, in Tampa’s Dana Shores.

Paul O’Connor stands next to his brother-in-law, Chuck Kubiak. When Kubiak went into sudden cardiac arrest, O’Connor, an Eagle Scout, performed CPR — saving his brother-in-law’s life. (Courtesy of Christine O’ Connor)

The house was decked out with 80th birthday balloons, Christine and her sister-in-law Kelly Kubiak had catered the meal, and there were special cupcakes, too.

Christine had spent hours painstakingly putting together a power point presentation — showcasing her mom’s life —timed to a soundtrack of Jimmy Buffet tunes.

“That was really moving for my mom,” Christine said.

It had been a great day, and the party was wrapping up — with immediate family members saying their goodbyes.

Christine was chatting with her brother, Chuck Kubiak, when suddenly he said he felt lightheaded, and he fell into a recliner.

She thought he’d passed out. She tried to get a response, but couldn’t stir him.

“Then, all of a sudden, his color changed. I turned to Paul and I said, ‘He is not breathing.’”

When Paul heard that, he said, “I said to myself, ‘It’s go time.’

“I yelled over to my niece (Brooke Kubiak) to call 911,” Paul said.

He asked his nephew, Brian Kubiak, to go get his keychain. That’s where Paul always keeps a CPR face shield.

“I went to the other side of Chuck,” Paul said. ““I checked his carotid (artery) for a pulse. No pulse.”

Paul, Christine and her brother Craig Kubiak laid Chuck out on the floor.

“I started CPR on him, between CPR compressions and mouth-to-mouth, went back and forth about three times,” Paul said.

As he was doing mouth-to-mouth, he turned Chuck’s head and could hear gurgling.

“He started aspirating a little bit,” Paul said.

“I just flipped him up on the side. He was breathing, but it was very labored,” Paul said.

“Probably the whole scenario was around 5 minutes or so, 5-7 minutes,” Paul added, referring to when he began CPR and when emergency responders arrived.

Chuck was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital’s main campus in Tampa, where he received care and a defibrillator was installed in his chest. He was discharged nearly a week later.

Since then, Chuck has had visits with his cardiologist and had a return trip to the hospital because of blood clots. He remains on medication and said his prognosis is good.

Paul, who is an Eagle Scout, said his Scout training prepared him to do what needed to be done.

He recently received a Medal of Merit award from Boy Scouts of America.

“When it happens, it happens really, really quickly. You have to be prepared for it,” Paul said, in a video taken during the medal presentation in a Lutz Troop 12 ceremony.

“As that gurney went out the front door, he was breathing. I did my job,” Paul said.

“It’s an honor, but then again, I’m an Eagle Scout. I was doing what I was trained to do,” Paul added, after receiving the award from Troop 12 Scoutmaster Paul Evans.

Paul and Christine are both leaders in Troop 12 and their son, Sean, is a Life Scout — preparing to seek the rank of Eagle Scout — in the same troop.

Christine’s family is both deeply impressed and enormously grateful for Paul’s actions.

“It was very surreal, very surreal,” Christine said.

Chuck, who lives in Wesley Chapel, was at the party with his 20-year-old twins, Spencer and Mackenzie. His wife, Lavon, couldn’t attend because the family’s dog was not doing well.

Paul O’Connor, left, stands with Troop 12 Scoutmaster Paul Evans, after an awards ceremony where O’Connor was honored for using CPR skills he learned in scouting to save the life of his brother-in-law, Chuck Kubiak.

Chuck knows how lucky he is to be alive.

“I had what’s called a sudden cardiac arrest. It’s 95% fatal, from what I understand,” he said.

“I was fortunate to be in the right place, at the right time, when it happened, that’s for sure,” Chuck added, because Paul was there and knew what to do.

“It’s important that people not only know CPR, but that they do it correctly, because it makes a big difference, I think, in the outcome,” said Chuck, who learned his cardiac arrest was caused by an enlarged heart, possibly the result of a virus.

In the right place, at the right time
After nearly dying, Chuck said, he’s more aware of the fragile nature of life.

“It just shows you how quick life can come and go,” Chuck said. “Once I went down, it was like the off-switch was hit.”

The experience has made him reflect about how he spends time.

“Life goes by so fast — try to slow down a little,” Chuck said, noting that his brush with death has served to remind him “not be so driven to just work, work, work.”

Christine said she’s happy that they were still at the party when Chuck needed help.

“Why did it happen that way? There’s a reason for everything.

“We could have been gone. We typically leave early on Sunday nights. And we could have left already. Or, Chuck could have been in the car with the kids.

“I’m just grateful that everybody was in the right place at the right moment, and my brother is here with us today,” Christine said.

For his part, Paul hopes more people will receive training to become certified in CPR.

“I’ve been through CPR training a number of times,” Paul said.

“Now, I’m a big proponent for the troop. Even the folks that I work with.

“It can really hit close to home,” Paul said.

Published February 17, 2021

Celebrating the gift of life, at Christmas

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Joan Hamm was asleep when she felt an incredible pain in her chest.

She woke up, called 9-1-1 and unlocked her front door.

Emergency personnel found her, when they arrived, and set into motion a series of actions to save the 77-year-old Dade City woman’s life.

Joan Hamm of Dade City, March 2016 patient, with Amanda Martin, Monica Anderson and Wayne Ruppert.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Armando Lopez Jr., was watching television in his Hernando County home when suddenly he blacked out.

He recalls parts of what happened next: His son administering CPR, his wife calling 9-1-1, and emergency crews taking him to the hospital.

But, he said his memory is spotty because he was in and out of consciousness.

Both Hamm and Lopez were among surviving patients invited to Bayfront Health Dade City’s fourth annual Lifesaver’s Awards banquet.

About 65 people attended the event, which included hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, a catered meal and an awards presentation. Those recognized during the event each received a citation of meritorious performance.

The banquet recognizes the work of emergency personnel, physicians and the Bayfront Health Dade City associates who successfully revived patients whose hearts stopped beating and who were “clinically dead.”

“With Lifesavers, we reunite the patient with their family and everybody who helped take care of them,” said Wayne Ruppert Jr., master of ceremonies for the awards banquet. He is the hospital’s cardiovascular care coordinator. He also received an award during the ceremony.

Hamm was pleased to be there, accompanied by members of her family.

She characterized the banquet as “uplifting and inspiring.

Back row, left to right: Wayne Ruppert, Monica Andersen, Nicholas Jordan-Topp, Fakhreddin Fard, John Kinzie, Raul Cruz and Amanda Martin.
Front row, left to right: Suzanne Green Lopez, Armando D. Lopez III, Armando Lopez Jr. (the patient who was saved) and Nancy M. Lopez.

Hamm added: “I am so happy that somebody thanks these people for what they do.

“So many times, the EMTs never know what happens to the person.

“All of those people were so nice to me. My brothers were here and my stepdaughter. They just couldn’t say enough good things. They said, ‘I’ve never seen people so nice and so concerned, and so helpful as they were, at the hospital here,” Hamm said.

The Dade City woman said she doesn’t’ recall much of what happened to her, but she has a report that provides a minute-by-minute account.

One thing is certain, Hamm said: It never was a sure thing that she’d walk away from the hospital, especially without deficits.

“For several days, they didn’t know which way it was going to go,” Hamm said.

She was in the hospital for about a week and then at a nursing home for a couple of more before returning home.

“I did my physical therapy. I did a lot better than they thought I would do. They just said they never dreamed it would all end up so good,” Hamm said.

Lopez, a retired postal worker, appreciates the outstanding care that he received.

“I just wanted to mention that the care that I received at Bayfront Health Dade City was excellent. It’s a small hospital, but it’s really great.”

“I’m very grateful to the fire rescue and Bayfront Health (Dade City) for saving my life,” Lopez added. “I can’t thank them enough.”

He especially appreciates the additional time he’s been able to spend with his family.

Ruppert, who had spent most of his career working for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, joined the Bayfront Health Dade City’s staff four years ago.

He was immediately impressed by the skills he saw exhibited by emergency responders and hospital personnel.

“Performance is gauged in the cath lab, by door to balloon,” Ruppert said.

“When a patient comes in the door having a heart attack — how fast do you get them on the cath lab table, get a balloon in their heart, and balloon open the blockage and put a stent in?

“That’s when the heart attack stops.

“So, the stop watch begins when they come in the front door, and it ends when you restore blood flow to the part of the heart where the blockage was blocking blood flow,” he said.

“The statistical survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is around 7 percent, and that’s according to a recent Heart Association American College of Cardiology Journal paper,” Ruppert said. “BayFront Health Dade City, typically, every year is two to three times that amount.”

Two of the patients who were invited to the banquet had experienced prolonged down times, Ruppert said.

If CPR isn’t started within 4 minutes to 6 minutes, brain cells begin to die, he said, and historically the survival rate for those patients is low.

There is a therapy called Therapeutic Hypothermia that can be used to cool down the patient’s core body temperature to chill the temperature of the brain to preserve brain cells, Ruppert said, and that was used on two patients who had prolonged down times.

Due to that treatment and the good care they received, Ruppert said, “they walked out of the hospital with no deficit. They’re totally normal.”

Hamm was one of those patients.

“I feel very blessed,” she said.

Published December 21, 2016

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North expands heart care services

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When heart attacks happen, minutes matter.

And now, residents of Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and other nearby communities, including Keystone, Odessa, Northdale, New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, have a new option for treatment of a STEMI — which stands for ST elevated myocardial infarction.

That condition is one of the most deadly types of heart attacks and, as of Aug. 25, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North can treat patients suffering from a STEMI.

A STEMI occurs when there is prolonged blockage of blood supply to the heart. The optimal treatment method is PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) to open the artery within 90 minutes of first receiving care by emergency medical personnel.

When someone arrives at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North with a STEMI (ST elevated myocardial infarction), this team of specialists springs into action to provide treatment. (Courtesy of St. Joseph's Hospital-North)
When someone arrives at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North with a STEMI (ST elevated myocardial infarction), this team of specialists springs into action to provide treatment.
(Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

Since time translates into muscle loss, patients suffering a STEMI are taken to the closest hospital that can treat patients suffering from this type of heart attack, said Kathy Myers, director of operations for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.

In the past, patients who brought themselves to St. Joseph’s North had to be taken by helicopter to St. Joseph’s main campus in Tampa for the treatment, Myers said.

Ambulance drivers who responded to emergencies would bypass St. Joseph’s North to take patients to the closest facility licensed to treat STEMI patients, Myers added.

Now, St. Joseph’s North has a team on hand, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to treat these patients.

Adding the service is a true milestone in the hospital’s five-year history, Myers said.

Treating STEMI patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North means faster care for patients in a situation where minutes matter, Myers said.

“When you have a STEMI, that lack of blood flow to the heart causes muscle loss,” Myers said. “Time is heart muscle. So, getting to the closest facility, and getting that intervention as quick as possible, saves heart muscle.”

Kathy Myers, director of operations for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, said adding a service to treat STEMI (ST elevated myocardial infarction) is a milestone in the hospital’s five-year history. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Kathy Myers, director of operations for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, said adding a service to treat STEMI (ST elevated myocardial infarction) is a milestone in the hospital’s five-year history.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The St. Joseph’s Hospital-North STEMI team has been specially trained. There are 11 team members in the Cath lab and numerous other departments that interact with them.

All team members who work in the Cath lab need at least 500 hours of experience in a facility that does open-heart surgery, and many received training at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa and Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, she said.

Another advantage of adding the service is that patients will be able to stay in their community hospital, rather than being transferred or taken elsewhere, Myers said.

Nationally, about 250,000 Americans suffer a STEMI each year, according to the American Heart Association.

On average, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North estimates it will treat about two STEMI cases a week as the program ramps up.

The hospital has analyzed the area’s health trends, Myers said.

It is seeing more women with cardiac problems.

“Women present with different symptoms. They sometimes don’t have that crushing pain in their chest. They have back pain. They have shoulder pain. Different kinds of symptoms,” said.

It is also seeing younger people with cardiac issues.

“We have a lot of 40-, 50-year-olds who are in very stressful jobs. And, people are getting younger that are coming in with cardiac history,” she said.

Contributing factors can include people’s diet and other medical conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, she said.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North is one of six BayCare facilities that can treat STEMI patients.

Heart attack warning signs in men:

  • Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
  • Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort.

Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Heart attack warning signs in women:

  • Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
  • Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
  • Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort
  • Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
  • As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Source: The American Heart Association

Published September 9, 2015

A show of compassion for the Ivie family

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When Pasco High School has its talent show on May 8, it will be dedicated to Jordan Ivie, a 17-year-old whose death has caused hearts to break — as well as to expand — in Dade City.

The high school senior was riding in a 2002 Ford Mustang being driven by Austin Thomas Council on the morning of April 24, when it was involved in a crash, according to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Customers lined up both inside and down the block at Olga’s Bakery and Deli in downtown Dade City. The business donated 100 percent of the proceeds of its business on April 29 to help the Ivie family. (Richard Riley/Photo)
Customers lined up both inside and down the block at Olga’s Bakery and Deli in downtown Dade City. The business donated 100 percent of the proceeds of its business on April 29 to help the Ivie family.
(Richard Riley/Photo)

Council was traveling south, toward the center of Smith Road, when a sport utility vehicle approached from the other direction, the report says.

Council veered to the right and lost control of the car, which struck a mailbox and four trees before coming to a stop, the report says.

Council and Ivie were transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, where Ivie died on April 26.

Both Council and Ivie were wearing seatbelts and no alcohol was involved, according to the FHP report.

An investigation is ongoing and any charges would be pending its completion, which will likely be in three months to six months, said Sgt. Steve Gaskins, of the FHP.

After Ivie’s death, hundreds gathered at Pasco High School on the evening of April 26 to honor her. The high school senior had been set to graduate on May 29.

Family, friends and loved ones gathered again on April 30 at a memorial service for her at Pasco Middle School.

Social media sites reveal the family and community’s deep sense of loss.

In a 7:27-minute video posted by Jeff Jeter on YouTube, scenes from Jordan Abigail Ivie’s life flash across the screen, as she grows from infant to little girl to young woman.

Her blonde hair and blue eyes are a constant, and her bright smile conveys a joy for life.

In another YouTube post, Cora Zone, shares her grief about Ivie’s passing.

“God has gained a new angel today,” says Zone, ending her video with happy photographs of Ivie.

The video concludes with this quote, attributed to Ivie: “Don’t give up, focus on the positives, and be kind always. Seek out the most in every precious, beautiful day you are given.”

Others across Dade City were also moved by the young woman’s death.

At Olga’s Bakery and Deli, all of the proceeds from items sold on April 29 were donated to the family to help them cover expenses.

“We were open until our normal time of 2 p.m. We had run out of baked goods and materials to bake with,” said Chris Dious, the bakery’s owner.

The shop donated more than $5,000 to the family from its sales, along with $3,000 in direct donations, Dious said. Some employees also contributed their daily wages to the cause.

When people found out what the bakery was doing, they came out in droves.

“I was impressed with our customers. The line was long, and everybody was very patient,” Dious said. “This was busier than any other day we have ever had, including the Kumquat Festival. It was a very long day, but worth it.”

In Facebook posts, Ivie’s father, Alfred, apologizes for being unable to respond to all of the messages that have been sent to the family. He also expresses gratitude for the community’s response.

“Our family is truly overwhelmed by grief. However, we are also overwhelmed by the love and support we have received from our community.

“Your compassion towards us has made such a difference in our grief and we (will) always be grateful for your many acts of kindnesses and kind words,” he wrote.

To help relieve the family’s financial strain, two crowdfunding pages have been set up at GoFundMe.com.

—Richard Riley contributed to this report.

Published May 6, 2015

In Print: Special Olympics, Sochi Olympics, trauma centers

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America is still taking a breath after a strong performance at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, last month, but locally, people still can’t get enough.

Asif Shaikh, a chaplain from Lutz, once again traveled overseas to take part in the Olympics, serving as a spiritual guide for athletes. It gave him a chance to not only see some of the medal-winning events for Americans, but also gave him a chance to wish his wife, Leaha, a happy Valentine’s Day on national television thanks to NBC’s “Today Show.”

SochiOlympics
Asif Shaikh, a chaplain from Lutz, pretends to hold up the Olympic rings. (Courtesy of Asif Shaikh)

This is his second Olympics, having attended the Summer Games in London in 2012. But while Shaikh provides a service to Olympians, he still must convince the right people to allow him to continue his services at future games.

“I’m trying to get established,” he told reporter B.C. Manion. “I think the next step would be, ‘How can I help, in the sense of volunteering my time.’ They don’t have any spiritual leaders. They don’t recognize that as something that’s important.”

A little closer to home, Wesley Chapel High School hosted the Special Olympics, which brought in hundreds of athletes from around Pasco County and beyond.

“I’m just glad to know that, not only are the parents supporting them, but they are embraced by the community,” Denise Peeks, whose daughter Tiffany competes in the games, told reporter Michael Murillo. “The business community and the volunteers come out and they get so much support that they so desperately need. I think it’s fantastic.”

Both Olympics are all about competition, but the kind of competition taking place between various hospitals in the region is much different. Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point opened a trauma center in 2011, and is now doing everything it can to keep it despite efforts by older trauma centers in Hillsborough County trying to take it away.

Dr. Scott Norwood, who runs Bayonet Point’s facility, says the more trauma centers there are, the better hospitals can treat those in accidents and other mishaps that require specialized care very quickly.

“Trauma is a time-sensitive disease,” Norwood told members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce recently, as reported by Michael Hinman. “It’s just like heart disease or a heart attack, the quicker you can get to a facility to deal with the problem, the more likely you are to survive. And that’s reflective of what’s happening in Florida right now.”

But existing facilities like Tampa General Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital, see it differently, and feel too many trauma centers will instead be detrimental because it would dilute the quality of care, and the money needed to run the facilities.

Although one state senator has introduced a bill she hopes will address the problems, it looks like the legal battle between all these hospitals fighting for trauma centers will rage on for some time to come.

Finally, for our Zephyrhills and Dade City readers, the East Pasco edition of The Laker takes a unique look at the upcoming Founders’ Day celebration in the City of Pure Water. Michael Murillo has taken a trip into Zephyrhills’ past and shared it in a way only he could in his regular column, “Presenting the Past.”

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to find out where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800.