Bolingbrook Man Grateful Paramedics Chose Silver Cross Hospital After Heart Attack

BOLINGBROOK, IL – A little more than a year ago, Rick Covelli was waiting in the drive-through lane at a McDonald’s near the Orland Park shop where he worked as a mechanic, Silver Cross Hospital shared in a news release.

“All of a sudden, my chest started hurting,” said Covelli, 63, of Bolingbrook. “Then, it started hurting really bad.”

He headed back to the shop, where his foreman refused to let him drive home; instead calling paramedics. After a quick EKG, they told him they were taking him to the hospital. They chose Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

“They were going either to Silver Cross or another hospital, and they chose Silver Cross. And I’m glad they did.”

After being admitted and several days of testing, Covelli was found to have a 99 percent blockage in one artery, 90 percent in another and 80 percent in the third, according to the hospital.

“I had three stents put in, and soon after, I could tell the difference. I was breathing much better, and I didn’t get tired as fast.”

His family – wife, Louise, daughter, son and grandkids – made the trip as often as they could for the several days he was at Silver Cross.

Covelli, who had a stroke a year before his heart attack, said the chest pains were a first. But for a couple months before, he began getting winded at work.

“And I felt it in my legs. I would sit down, and it was tough getting back up and walking. Now, I feel much better.”

Already on medication for diabetes and high blood pressure, Covelli now says he likely will be on blood thinners for the rest of his life, according to a news release.

But until those chest pains, Covelli thought it might have been old age creeping up. Now back to work, he’s thankful to be alive and for the care he received from the doctors and nurses at Silver Cross.

“The nurses came in often to ask if I needed anything, if I was comfortable. They prepared me for what to expect with each test. And if I had any questions, they answered all of them.”

“They were unbelievable. I am very happy with the care I got at Silver Cross.”