Parma Fire Captain Ricky Fetter is sharing his close call with a cardiac event requiring open-heart surgery hoping to encourage others to be proactive with their health.
Last September while assisting with a cadet class, Fetter experienced shortness of breath and associated it with being out of shape due to COVID restrictions. A few weeks later he experienced a similar incident walking up some steps.
“The weird thing was my wife, who is a nurse, FaceTimed me out of the blue,” Fetter told Cleveland.com. “She said I looked gray, something was wrong, and I needed to go to the doctor right now.”
Fetter went to UH Parma Medical Center who conducted tests and determined he had seven arteries with 80 percent blockage. The next day, Fetter underwent open-heart surgery.
UH Parma Medical Center Cardiologist Dr. Raju Modi told Cleveland.com, that anyone with symptoms of chest pain with exertion, shortness of breath, jaw or back pain should seek out immediate medical attention.
Fetter said that doctors told him there was a chance he could have died within a few days if he hadn’t sought treatment. He made a commitment to get his story out and encourage his coworkers to stay on top of their health.
Fetter told Cleveland.com, “Honestly, I’ve been doing this a long time and we always are helping other people. We forget to help ourselves sometimes.”
