Local coach survives widowmaker heart attack thanks to care at Englewood Hospital.
Longtime coach and community volunteer Jeremy Martin credits the fast-acting team at HCA Florida Englewood Hospital with saving his life after suffering a widowmaker heart attack while alone at his hurricane-damaged home on Little Gasparilla Island.
Martin, a well-known local businessman and former Venice High School girls basketball coach, was working to restore his home when he began experiencing chest pain and indigestion. He called his wife, Joey Martin, and said, “Something is seriously wrong.” When EMS arrived, he insisted, “Take me to HCA Florida Englewood Hospital.”
The hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab team was already standing by. Within minutes of arrival, they diagnosed Martin with a widowmaker heart attack, a severe blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which supplies blood to a large portion of the heart. This type of heart attack is often fatal without immediate intervention.
“Widowmaker heart attacks are caused by a 100% blockage in the LAD artery,” said Dr. Sailendra Upendram, interventional cardiologist. “Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and a family history of heart disease.”
Martin was rushed to the cath lab, where Dr. Upendram and his team performed a stent procedure to open the blocked artery. A stent is a small mesh tube inserted into the artery to restore blood flow.
“We quickly took Jeremy to the catheterization lab, inserted stents and restored blood flow to the blocked artery, his symptoms disappeared immediately,” Dr. Upendram said.
Joey Martin praised the hospital staff for their compassion and communication during the emergency. “The nurse came out four or five times checking on me, letting me know how he was doing,” she said. “It was really nice to have that amount of communication. I felt at ease and felt he was in great hands. That was only because of the team there.”
Jeremy Martin echoed her gratitude. “The professionalism was like no other,” he said. “Their dedication to me means more than I could ever imagine.”
Martin has made a full recovery and continues to work in the health care industry while actively coaching for the Student Leadership Academy and serving the community he loves.
Jeremy’s story is a powerful reminder that heart attacks can strike without warning. Visit HCA Florida Healthcare to learn more about cardiology services, find a heart care expert and complete a free heart risk assessment. Your heart matters. Don’t wait.