As he took selfies with the Benefis cardiac team and intensive care nurses who saved his life, Scott Beistel found his voice choked by tears.
“You guys gave me another shot,” he said.
As he walked through Benefis Health System, Scott thought about how vulnerable he felt more than 2,100 miles from home and family when his heart gave out and how helpless he was after surgery.
“It’s the emotional overload of where I was and how far I’ve come,” he said. “It will follow me all my days to see you again, to have this moment.”
Beistel is a full-time RVer from Virginia who happened to be camping in Great Falls in August 2023 when “out of nowhere” he had a heart attack. An ambulance ride brought him to Benefis, where he had a triple bypass procedure and remained in the ICU for 13 days.
“It’s life and death, and the Grim Reaper was in the corner of my RV,” he said.
He returned to Benefis to mark his year of recovery and to thank in person those who saved him, beginning with Dr. Steven Bailey, Dr. Dimitrios Koudoumas, and Kaitlan Breckel, PA-C.
“If it wasn’t for Dr. Bailey and his team, I probably wouldn’t be here. They literally saved my life, and now I have a second chance to really appreciate my time on earth!” he said. “I’ll never be able to repay them, so the best I can do is to say, ‘Thank you,’ with eternal gratitude.”
Beistel said his first moments in the hospital felt like an out-of-body experience, but then reality hit.
“I knew what they were going to do was going to change my life,” he said. “I felt like they would save me, that they would help me. They had a great attitude explaining the procedures. I just knew I was in good hands.”
When ICU nurses told him he had to walk, he recoiled. He was so weak he sat down after just a few steps.
“I literally had to work on walking, and it was a struggle. I had to recondition myself,” he said. “It grounds you, but they were so giving. They got me out of bed.”
Beistel had a nurse put up a blank sheet of paper in his ICU room. Whenever someone came in to help him, he added their names to a list. He sent a note thanking all 45 people on that list when he got home.
Beistel has been diligent with his rehabilitation and follow-up care. He lost 28 pounds and is working his way back to 162 lbs. He’s eating better and exercising. He’s learned to stress less and “embrace having another shot.”
Beistel could have been anywhere on his RV travels when the heart attack came. He’s thankful he was in Great Falls.
“Just a few days before, I was in a place that couldn’t have taken care of me,” he said. “Underline it twice, absolutely. I’m a success story. I’m alive.”
Author: Staff
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