Professor Steele: Healthy, grateful and teaching again
Korvell Pyfrom
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: News
A month after suffering a near-fatal heart attack, Professor Mike Steele is well on his way to making a full recovery. The distinguished professor, who also coaches the Pacific handball team, is already back at work in the English department mindful of what he has endured
Steele always maintained a healthy lifestyle and he was in the low-risk category for a heart attack. He is certain that a family history of heart-related issues played a factor in his own attack.
On Oct. 13, while playing handball with his daughter-in-law Kristen, the 64-year-old began feeling a radiating pain in his chest, which eventually moved to his left shoulder and then traveled further down his arm. Fully aware of the signs, Steele said he immediately sensed he was in trouble.
"I stopped playing and asked Kristen, how do I look? She took one look at me and said, 'we're not playing anymore handball'," Steele said.
At the time of the attack, Steele was at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland. The facility is well-equipped with the instruments and personnel needed to render aid during an emergency. Steele admits that his location at the time helped make the difference between life and death.
"I was fortunate to be at the athletic club. An unfortunate thing happened at the right place," Steele said. Steele's daughter-in-law Kristen, a physical therapist, was also able to assist him during the initial stages of the attack.
Steele was fully responsive and alert for most of the ordeal and he did not lose consciousness until just prior to having emergency surgery.
The attack that Steele experienced is called a myocardial infarction, in which a patient suffers an interruption of the blood supply to the heart causing cells to die. In Steele's case, there was complete blockage of the anterior descending artery to the left ventricle depriving his heart of oxygen. Steele's condition became more frightening and even now he is still uncertain as to whether during the ordeal, his heart stopped five times or if it took five times before it was finally defibrillated.
Steele always maintained a healthy lifestyle and he was in the low-risk category for a heart attack. He is certain that a family history of heart-related issues played a factor in his own attack.
On Oct. 13, while playing handball with his daughter-in-law Kristen, the 64-year-old began feeling a radiating pain in his chest, which eventually moved to his left shoulder and then traveled further down his arm. Fully aware of the signs, Steele said he immediately sensed he was in trouble.
"I stopped playing and asked Kristen, how do I look? She took one look at me and said, 'we're not playing anymore handball'," Steele said.
At the time of the attack, Steele was at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland. The facility is well-equipped with the instruments and personnel needed to render aid during an emergency. Steele admits that his location at the time helped make the difference between life and death.
"I was fortunate to be at the athletic club. An unfortunate thing happened at the right place," Steele said. Steele's daughter-in-law Kristen, a physical therapist, was also able to assist him during the initial stages of the attack.
Steele was fully responsive and alert for most of the ordeal and he did not lose consciousness until just prior to having emergency surgery.
The attack that Steele experienced is called a myocardial infarction, in which a patient suffers an interruption of the blood supply to the heart causing cells to die. In Steele's case, there was complete blockage of the anterior descending artery to the left ventricle depriving his heart of oxygen. Steele's condition became more frightening and even now he is still uncertain as to whether during the ordeal, his heart stopped five times or if it took five times before it was finally defibrillated.
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posted 12/01/09 @ 7:56 PM PST
It is great news that Professor Steele is again healthy. Students have missed him.
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