Jimmie Walker knows exactly what it feels like to have a heart attack. “I was working outside this past February when my chest started hurting,” Jimmie remembers. “It felt like a knife was sticking through my back. I was sweating and struggling to breathe and my jaw was throbbing.”

Jimmie wife’s, Tammie, drove him to Macon Community Hospital, which was fortunately only five minutes away. In about 30 minutes, the ER staff was able to stabilize Jimmie so he could be flown by helicopter to Hendersonville. “The staff was quick and decisive,” Jimmie. “They probably saved my life.” Two days later, Jimmie had quadruple bypass surgery. One of his arteries, the widow maker, was 90 percent blocked.

Several weeks after his heart surgery, Jimmie began cardiac rehab at Macon Community Hospital, three times a week for two weeks. “The staff was really great—professional and friendly,” Jimmie says. “They were always encouraging me, and yet pushing me too. They were really, really good.”

Today, Jimmie’s heart is on the mend. “I bought a stationary bicycle, ride a bicycle outside and walk a mile and half every day,” Jimmie says. “I’ve also changed his diet. Sometimes I feel like I’m a rabbit just eating lettuce, but it’s good for my heart. I’m so thankful for everything that Macon Community Hospital had done for me.”