The Lowell General Hospital

Hello Friends,

 

On January 20th 2022 our parents woke up to what started out as any given Thursday – Dad (Bob) brewed a pot of coffee, Mom (Gail) turned on the morning news, and they grabbed their sneakers to head out to their weekly pickleball games at The Mill Works in Westford MA. Shortly after arriving, they were both quick to jump into their separate games, and the unimaginable happened – Dad collapsed. With no warning signs, our world had turned upside down. A select group of pickleball-ers saw what was happening and jumped into action – orchestrating CPR, grabbing an on-site AED machine, and dialing 911 the crew quickly kicked into gear. The AED machine recognized that Bob had gone into cardiac arrest and instructed the team to stand back as it needed to deliver an electrical shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

 

Defibrillation is time sensitive. The probability of survival decreases by 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute that a victim stays in a life-threatening arrhythmia. If our Dad hadn’t been surrounded by people who sprang into action the outcome could have become fatal quickly as many unfortunately experience. According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests in the US occur outside of the hospital each year, and about 90 percent of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die.

 

Fortunately for us, our Dad’s story did not end on January 20th. The paramedics took him to Lowell General Hospital where imaging showed extensive blockage in multiple arteries, and that he would need surgery.  He was later transported to Tufts Medical Center in Boston where they successfully performed a triple bypass and valve repair surgery.

 

There will never be enough words to express how thankful our family is to all those involved in saving his life. From the pickleball players to the EMTs who arrived on scene, the nurses, doctors and assistants in Lowell, and the surgical team at Tufts. They saved the life of a good man and gave his family back an extraordinary, thoughtful, loving husband, father, and grandfather. In a way to express our gratitude, we would like to raise funds to pay it forward and continue to save the lives of those affected from similar circumstances.

 

Want to join us in making a difference? Please consider donating in the following ways:
1.) We are raising money to benefit the Heart and Vascular Center at Lowell General Hospital, and any donation will help make an impact. 2.) We are participating in a Pickleball tournament on 2/26 and 2/27 at The Mill Works in Westford. The tournament will host a raffle to assist the Mill Works in acquiring an additional AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and all remaining raffle proceeds will be donated on behalf of Robert Hughes. If you are interested in participating, more information can be found here: https://pickleballbrackets.com/lnkHdlr.aspx?eid=252e20ed-2a90-4281-b28c-3e7694066bde  

 

More information about The Lowell General Hospital: To Meet The Healthcare Needs Of Communities Served Through The Provision Of Inpatient And Outpatient Medical Services. To Provide Services, Programs And Initiatives To Improve The Health And Quality Of Life Of The Citizens In The Area, With A Particular Focus On People Who Are Medically Underserved, At Risk, Or Financially Disadvantaged.

In Lowell, and many other places, healthcare costs are rising and many struggle to meet the financial needs to be healthy. My goal is similar to the “Health Carr For All Massachusetts” website. I want everyone to have no worry of how they are going to pay their next or current medical bill. Let’s have a strong and healthy community in Lowell MA.