Floridians Harold and Mary Donag he have a lot to be thankful for this year. The couple spent Thanksgiving at Western Baptist, and they’ll return here for a needed second surgery this spring.

Floridian Harold Donaghe may owe his life to his brother-inlaw’s heart attack.

After meeting for a hunting trip in Missouri in early November, the two were on their separate ways home. Harold and his wife, Mary, stopped overnight in Sikeston; his sister and brotherin- law stayed in Paducah.

The next morning, Dongahe received a call from his sister that his brother-in-law had a heart attack at the hotel and was being taken to Western Baptist. Donaghe and his wife immediately headed to Paducah to be with them.

As he stayed with his brotherin- law in Baptist’s Intensive Care Unit, Donaghe began to feel sick himself.

“I started feeling very bad,” said Donaghe. “A nurse in ICU asked if she could check my vital signs. She then immediately took me to the emergency department.”

Donaghe was admitted to Western Baptist where surgeon Joseph Mayo, M.D., determined that he needed immediate surgery. Diverticulitis had perforated his colon in four places and filled his body with infection.

While recovering, Donaghe decided to return to Western Baptist for a needed second surgery in three to four months.

“I want to come back to Western Baptist because of the care and compassion we were shown,” said Donaghe. “We trust the staff there. If not for the caring people at Western Baptist, I could have died.”

Donaghe calls his unexpected trip to Paducah a blessing in disguise.

“If I had continued home to Florida, I may not have survived,” said Donaghe. “God was watching over my brother-in-law and me and put us in the good hands of the people at Western Baptist.”

Western Baptist will host a free cholesterol and blood sugar screening on Friday, March 31, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Atrium of Doctors Office Building 2. No fasting or advance registration is required.