On November 26, 2025, 62-year-old Tommy Bell, a patient transport supervisor at AdventHealth DeLand who had worked at the hospital for more than a decade, felt persistent pressure in the center of his chest while driving home. He turned back to the hospital emergency department. After tests and imaging, physicians scheduled a cardiac procedure two days later.
During recovery after that procedure on November 28, Bell suffered a heart attack and received a stent to restore blood flow. He was stabilized, moved to the intensive care unit and discharged two days later. At home he continued to feel unwell; his wife, Joi, took him back to the ER, and on December 2 he experienced two additional heart attacks.
Bell said being treated by colleagues he knew made the experience less frightening. “Knowing that I was being cared for by the people that I see and make laugh on a daily basis made me feel at home,” he said, adding that he recognized every caregiver by name and felt reassured by their support. After about two weeks off to recover and regain strength, he returned to work and described ongoing encouragement from both his hospital “work family” and his home family.
Bell is sharing his story to raise awareness about heart attack symptoms and the importance of paying attention to your body. “If I can help save a life by reminding people to listen to their bodies, I have done what God has called me to do,” he said.
Janak Bhavsar, MD, an interventional cardiologist at AdventHealth who treated Bell, noted that recurrent cardiac events can occur, especially when multiple risk factors are present. He emphasized controlling those risk factors with lifestyle measures — regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, adequate sleep and weight management — and credited Bell’s prompt return to the ER when symptoms recurred as critical to recognizing and treating his condition.
Heart attack symptoms are not always the classic chest pain portrayed on television. Pain can appear in the neck, jaw, arms, back or stomach; other warning signs include nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and sweating. According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 20% to 50% of heart attacks are “silent” or go unrecognized, often mistaken for indigestion, muscle strain or fatigue.
After stent placement, Bhavsar stressed the importance of continuing prescribed medications — particularly antiplatelet agents to prevent clotting at the stent site — monitoring for recurrent symptoms and seeking immediate care if they occur. Patients should follow up with cardiology and primary care and consider cardiac rehabilitation programs to support recovery and reduce future risk.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death across most demographic groups, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. To improve heart health, Bhavsar recommended controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes; quitting smoking; staying physically active (especially aerobic exercise); maintaining a healthy weight; following a heart-healthy eating pattern such as the Mediterranean diet; and getting adequate sleep.
For Bhavsar, treating patients like Bell and seeing them recover and adopt healthier lifestyles is especially rewarding. “I was able to interact with [Tommy] in several settings — ER, procedure room, ICU, medical unit, outpatient follow-up — and coming full circle seeing him in the hallways when he returned to work,” he said, noting the value of coordinated, whole-person care across settings.