In December 2023, Jim Kennedy felt lightheaded after climbing the stairs at his home in Gainesville, Georgia. Referred to Northside Hospital Heart Institute, Jim ultimately received a pacemaker. This is his story, in his own words.
My name is Jim Kennedy. I am 72 years old and have been happily married to my beautiful wife, Jan, for almost 44 years. We have two amazing daughters, both married to wonderful husbands, and four fabulous grandchildren. Life is good. God is good, all the time. If I say, “I’m a lucky man,” Jan will quickly remind me, “No, you’re blessed, we all are, far more than we deserve.” She is right.
One of those many blessings is having enjoyed good health my entire life. When you hardly ever feel bad, it is easier to recognize when something is not right. That is where my story begins, early December 2023. I climbed the stairs at our house and saw stars. The best one-word description I can give you is “lightheaded.” The best one-word description of how I acted over the next couple of weeks is “dumb.”
That is because I didn’t tell anybody about it. I figured it was nothing. I was wrong. It happened several more times. We had plans to travel to Charleston to be with our youngest daughter, Colleen, and her family for Christmas. I decided I’d better tell Jan before we left home. That conversation did not go well.
Jan immediately produced a pulse oximeter (I didn’t know she had one) and stuck it on my finger. Oxygen was 97%. My pulse rate was 42. I’m no athlete. My resting pulse rate is normally north of 85. She checked my blood pressure. It was low. This “woman of faith” also quickly became a “woman of action.”
Within minutes, I was on the phone to the Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic hoping to talk to my primary care physician, Dr. C. Shane Bussler. I was dreading having to admit how long I’d waited to call. When I told my story to the lady who answered, she took care of that. She told me she would be sure to alert Dr. Bussler. I was instructed to hang up and call Northside Hospital Heart Institute.
It was my good fortune to learn Dr. J. Jeffrey Marshall was taking new patients. My appointment was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. Jan and I stayed home for Christmas. My pulse rate never got above 45, my blood pressure remained low and I got really good at doing absolutely nothing.
Jan went with me to my appointment, planning to sit in the waiting area while I saw Dr. Marshall. He made an awesome first impression. He laid out the game plan and I immediately knew I had a Super Bowl MVP Quarterback for a heart doctor. Kayla did my EKG. It was not good. Christy Seabolt, a high school classmate of our oldest daughter, Erin, did my stress echo test. She was wonderful. It confirmed why my EKG was not good. Ashley Morris, Tim and the whole team — they all were amazing. Dr. Marshall put it all in terms I could understand and then said, “I think you need a pacemaker.”
I had told Dr. Marshall all about Jan. When he asked if she could come get me and take me to Northside Hospital Forsyth for my surgery, I said, “Sure, she’s in the waiting area out front.” His eyes opened wide and he said with a smile, “I must meet this woman.” They became instant pals and were both in lockstep on the same mission — to get a pacemaker installed in my chest, the sooner the better.
Dr. Marshall had already coordinated everything. He had my surgeon, Dr. Niraj Sharma, expecting me within the hour. As we were pulling into the parking lot at Northside Forsyth, my cell phone rang. It was someone from inside the hospital asking where we were. How can you top that? Jan let me out and she parked the car. Erin and her family live one exit away from Northside Forsyth. I’ll never forget her being there and hearing her say with tears in her beautiful brown eyes, “I love you, Dad.”
From the minute we got there until the next day when we left, Jan and I could not have been more impressed with the efficiency, level of concern, professionalism and overall quality of care I received.
Dr. Sharma and his electrophysiology team were tremendous. I was awake but couldn’t tell when the incision was made. It was all over when I thought we were just getting going good. I never needed to take a Tylenol. My post-op instructions
were crystal clear. All my questions were answered. I got answers to questions I didn’t know to ask. We spent the night. Jan stayed with me in a private room. All the staff were terrific.
A special thanks to David Marshall, R.N. (no relation), Katie Lilly, R.N., and Jasmine Moten, R.N. from the device clinic, who both made sure my new pacemaker was doing its job. Jan and I were home by early afternoon. I never knew feeling “normal” could feel so good.
Dr. Sharma had me come for a follow-up office visit at three months. He was great. Edith, his long-time medical assistant, was, too. I asked him if I could play golf. He said, “Yes.” I say again, “Life is good. God is good, all the time.”
I didn’t have a lot of time to think about what was happening that Wednesday and Thursday morning in late December. I’ve had plenty of time to think about it since. Yes, I was and am truly blessed.
Learn more about Northside Hospital Heart Institute.
