Allentown, Pa.
My name is Gayle Ross. I am 46 and a single father of 3. I have been running since 2008. I had been a heavy smoker and had a herniated disc for years. In 2006 I had surgery on my back at St. Luke’s and was able to quit smoking. I was pretty heavy at the time and really wanted to lose the weight I had put on. In 2009 I went through some personal issues and the break up of my marriage. I used running to stay positive and focused.
In 2010 I decided that for my 45th birthday I would run a marathon. I completed the Steamtown Marathon that October and had taken off quite a bit of weight. A running group I had joined, “The Breakfast Club Runners,” had many members who running the 2011 St Luke’s 1/2 so I signed up to run it as well. I also planned to run the Pocono Marathon a couple weeks later.
In early 2011, I was having chest pain when I exerted myself. I thought it was asthma from being such a heavy smoker for years so I started to use an inhaler. Sometimes the pain was more noticeable than others so I thought I was controlling it with the inhaler.
Fast forward to the St. Lukes Expo 2011. My sister had come down from Syracuse to run the race. We headed to the expo to pick up our bibs. While we were there I decided to have my blood pressure checked. The nurse asked if I had high blood pressure. I said, “No, I’ve never had high blood pressure. Why?” She said it was really high and that I should get it checked out.
I instantly thought about the huge coffees I had had that morning and kind of shrugged it off. On Sunday, I ran with the 1:45 pace group and finished just under my goal. But as soon as the race was over I did not feel right. I felt nauseous and faint. Monday morning I made an appointment with my family doctor. My EKG came back irregular. I was sent to St. Luke’s for a stress test and that came back irregular. So they scheduled me for a heart catheterization.
Dr. Gulotta of St. Luke’s Cardiologists said he thought I may have a blockage and they needed to do the cath. On May 19 – less than three weeks after the half — I had the cath done at St. Luke’s Allentown. They found a 99% blockage in my right coronary artery and put a stent in.
I was really lucky. Running had almost killed me — and it saved my life. Had I not gotten checked out at the Expo and after the St Luke’s half, I believe I would not have finished the Pocono Marathon.
I was able to start running just weeks after the procedure and I continue to run and race today. I was also accepted as a member of the Team Marathon race team. I take daily medications and am restricted from eating BACON but otherwise lead a full active life.
Thank God for the St. Luke’s Expo and for Dr. Gulotta and his team at St. Luke’s.