‘We need an Emergency Department in Navan. It saved my life and saved many other lives’

A NAVAN man who suffered a heart attack last October says he owes his life to the Emergency Department in Navan Hospital and will join the fight to prevent its closure.

Martin O'Kane says he would not still be here, if it wasn't for Our Lady's Hospital.

“If I had gone to Drogheda or some other hospital, I wouldn't be here,” he said.

“I have a 13-month-old granddaughter in Australia that I'm looking forward to meeting, but if it wasn't for Navan Hospital, I would never meet her.”

Martin, who lives in Johnstown, explains that when he began to feel unwell his wife drove him to the hospital in Navan, where he went into cardiac arrest.

“She asked would she bring me to Drogheda or Navan, and I said Navan. If we had been on our way to Drogheda I wouldn't be here.

“If we had called an ambulance, which would have taken me to Drogheda or Dublin, I wouldn't be here.

“The care I got in Navan was amazing, They had to resuscitate me twice. They saved my life.”

“We need an Emergency Department in Navan. It saved my life and many other lives. Lives will be lost if it closes,” he warned.

Martin, who is 50 has always kept himself very fit, going to the gym three times a week and running three times a week. He had no indication anything was wrong until the day of his heart attack.

“It was the 27th October. I got up, went to the gym and then went to work without having breakfast.”

A self-employed carpenter, Martin was working in Kilmessan that day,

“I started to get chest pains, all down the centre of my chest. I thought I had injured myself in the gym. I continued to feel bad, thought my blood sugars might be low because I hadn't had breakfast and drank some Lucozade. It didn't go away so I said I was going home, which shocked the lads I was working with - I never go home sick.”

When Martin got home, his wife, Sinéad, who is a nurse was shocked to see him.

“She asked me questions about where the pain was and wanted to bring me to hospital, but I said I'd be fine and went to bed.”

Martin went to bed and woke up after about an hour and the pain was gone. “I went to the bathroom. I just took two steps and the pain was back, worse than before so I told Sinéad I wanted to go to hospital. She asked me if I wanted to go to Navan or Drogheda and I said Navan.

“After we arrived at the hospital the pain got more severe and the next thing I knew, there were people all around me, calling my name. I had gone into cardiac arrest in the waiting area.

“They were on me very quickly and shocked me to get me back. I arrested a second time and they had to shock me again,” he recalls.

“If I had been on my way to Drogheda, I wouldn't be alive now,” he said.

After he was stabilised, Martin was taken to the Mater Hospital where he had a stent fitted and was brought back to Navan where he remained for a further nine days.

“They have a Cardiac Care Unit in Navan, where I got excellent care. My fear is that it will also close if the Emergency Department closes. I go to outpatients there too and if it closes would have to travel to Dublin or Drogheda.”

Thankfully, Martin is doing much better now and is due to have an ICD device (which will restart he heart if it stops) fitted shortly.

Martin and Sinéad have two children, aged 11 and 17 living at home and an older son in Australia who has two children.

“I haven't seen my oldest grandchild who is three-years-old since he was eight-months and I now have a 13-month-old granddaughter that I haven't met yet. Thanks to Navan Hospital, I hope to now see them later this year.”

“I owe my life to the ED in Navan. It is essential that it is kept open and I will do whatever I can to ensure it stays open,” he said.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke said Martin's story highlighted the vital role that Navan's Emergency Department plays in the community as a life saving service.

“Martin's case is one of very many that highlight the importance of the ED, as well as the cardiac and critical care units in Navan. We will continue to campaign for their retention in Navan,” he said.