Margie Sloane was no stranger to cardiac symptoms. The retired Navy nurse and professional photographer had managed minor heart issues for years. So when she suddenly became ill during a Friday night photo shoot in March 2025, she knew something wasn’t right.
“I was photographing a church concert and running up and down stairs,” Margie recalled. “Halfway through, I started to feel strange. I couldn’t quite explain it — I just knew I didn’t feel well and needed to go home.”
Her husband, Rich, helped her pack up. But once they reached the parking lot, Margie became severely nauseated and sick to her stomach. Assuming it was a stomach virus, they started driving home. Then the chest pain and pressure began.
“That’s when I knew,” she said. “I’m having a heart attack.”
As they debated calling 911, Margie spotted the Oviedo Medical Center sign ahead. “See that over there? That’s where I need to go,” she told Rich.
In the emergency room, care began quickly despite it being a busy Friday night. Within minutes, an EKG was performed that did not reveal a heart attack, however blood tests confirmed an elevated troponin level — a marker of heart injury — increasing the suspicion of an NSTEMI.
An N-STEMI (non-ST elevation myocardial infarction) occurs when blood flow to the heart is severely reduced but not completely blocked. While it may not show the classic full changes on an EKG, it is still a serious heart attack that requires immediate treatment to prevent further damage to the heart muscle.
“My heart never stopped, but I felt awful,” Margie said. “I kept telling them, ‘I’m having a heart attack.’”
She had been experiencing classic heart attack symptoms in women: nausea, vomiting, and pain and pressure in her chest and back. Women may also have shortness of breath, unusual fatigue, jaw or neck pain, dizziness, or indigestion — symptoms that are often mistaken for less serious conditions.
“As a nurse, I knew women’s symptoms can be different,” she said. “But even with my experience, I didn’t think ‘heart attack’ until the chest pain started. That was the lightbulb moment. Then I saw the hospital sign — and it was incredibly comforting to know help was right there.”
Margie was impressed by the efficiency of her care in the emergency room. “Everything was brought to my room. I didn’t have to be moved around for tests,” she said. “The facility was clean, new, and well-equipped.”
A cardiac catheterization showed no blockages but revealed a previously undiagnosed congenital abnormality in the position of one of her coronary arteries that was affecting her heart function. She remained hospitalized for four days until her troponin levels stabilized and was discharged on new medications. Over the following months, she gradually regained strength.
Then in October, she experienced another scare. Shortly after going to bed one evening, she felt nauseated again — followed by pounding chest pressure. Her blood pressure and pulse were elevated. Rich drove her back to Oviedo Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heart rhythm. After five days of treatment and medication adjustments, she returned home.
Her experiences reinforced the importance of having trusted care close by.
“When you’re in crisis mode, you don’t want to be figuring out where to go,” Margie said. “It’s important to decide ahead of time and make sure your family knows, too.”
Margie considers Oviedo Medical Center part of her home.
“Every time I drive by, I think, ‘That’s where I went.’ Oviedo Medical Center has grown intentionally to meet the community’s needs. Every person I met was wonderful. If I have a choice, I will always choose Oviedo Medical Center.”