On November 21st, 2020, while working with his father in the attic, Cody Chambers began to have severe chest pain. Like many are prone to do, there was a moment of denial as he assessed his situation. After all, he is an active individual, works as an engineer with NASA, and is only 36 years old. But as the pain became unbearable, it was undeniable he was having a heart attack. He was taken at once to the closest hospital, AdventHealth Fish Memorial where the attending cardiologist operated on Chambers to open his right coronary artery with two stents immediately, saving his life.
Unfortunately, Chambers became unstable the very next day, crashing multiple times and eventually had to be placed on a ventilator. This was soon followed by another emergency procedure to insert an Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) before stabilizing him for transfer to AdventHealth in Downtown Orlando. He then would go on to be placed on an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine to give his body the ability to pump blood so that he could recover without laboring too intensely.
“It was touch and go for so long with Cody, I could not imagine life without him. With each baby step, I gained more confidence that he would survive. I know that without the balloon pump and the ECMO machine, his chances to survive would have been minimal”, said his wife Monica.
Years ago, AdventHealth Fish Memorial and the American Fundraising Foundation raised money to help AdventHealth purchase an ECMO machine. Wade West the CEO of AmFund said, “I know it wasn't the same machine that helped save Cody's life, but it sure felt good to know that we had a hand in supporting AdventHealth so that when one of our own team members needed the highest level of care – it was there.”
Chambers's first experience with AdventHealth was at Fish Memorial in Orange City. Thankfully, our hospital was near their home and the team was able to respond quickly to his needs. “Knowing that we were in the AdventHealth system of care was comforting. Even though Cody ultimately required a higher level of care, I was extraordinarily impressed with the compassion, sensitivity, and skill of the team at Fish,” said Monica. “I remember at one point a member of the custodial staff sat quietly with me and my mother-in-law as we were distraught over Cody crashing. It was that quiet, calming presence that made such an impression on our family”.
The most recent $7,500 check, presented by the AmFund, will assist cancer patients with care packages and transportation needs at AdventHealth Fish Memorial. Their continual generosity shows how necessary gifts like this are to ensuring patients like Chambers receive the care they need close to home.
