The longer term terrified Nancy till a physician gave her life-changing recommendation : NPR

Nancy Pardo and her husband Tom.

Nancy Pardo

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Nancy Pardo

Nancy Pardo and her husband Tom.

Nancy Pardo

This story is a part of the My Unsung Hero sequence, from the Hidden Mind crew, about individuals whose kindness left an enduring impression on another person.

In 2015, Nancy Pardo and her husband, Tom, spent just a few days climbing in a nationwide park in Maine. One morning, as they have been strolling on a footpath, Tom fainted. Later that day, he fainted once more.

They went straight to the native hospital, the place docs ran a number of exams however couldn’t determine why Tom had handed out. So Tom and Nancy have been despatched on their method.

They left the hospital and began strolling, on the lookout for a spot to have lunch. Once they stopped outdoors a restaurant to have a look at a menu, Tom fainted once more. And this time, it was a lot worse.

“He went down more durable and stayed out longer,” Nancy recalled.

Strangers appeared and referred to as 911, and Nancy and Tom went again to the identical hospital, the place they stayed for a number of days. From there they have been transferred to the biggest hospital within the space, Northern Gentle Jap Maine Medical Heart in order that Tom may get a extra sophisticated process – a coronary heart catheterization. It will permit his docs to find out if Tom had any blockages, which could clarify the fainting spells.

However simply as earlier than, the medical crew couldn’t discover any apparent issues. For Tom and Nancy, the uncertainty was terrifying.

“I used to be very afraid,” Nancy stated. “And the following morning, when the physician got here to launch us, I requested him, ‘What will we do now?'”

She assumed he would recommend one other take a look at or one other specialist. However he did not say something like that.

“Dr. Isidore Okere, who I’ll keep in mind my entire life, stated to us, ‘Go stay your life,'” Nancy recalled. “It wasn’t in a flippant method. It was his recommendation to us.”

And that’s what they’ve achieved. Regardless of two bouts of most cancers since 2008, Tom is doing properly and walks greater than 5 miles a day. And Dr. Isidore Okere continues to work on the Northern Gentle Jap Maine Medical Heart, in Bangor, Maine, the place he’s a heart specialist.

“Now we’re…taking Dr. Okere’s recommendation as typically as we will, attempting to not be afraid,” Nancy stated. “And to go stay our lives.”

My Unsung Hero can also be a podcast — new episodes are launched each Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Mind crew, file a voice memo in your cellphone and ship it to [email protected].