Pastor Tracy's Heart Attack Story and updates

Darlene's account:

On Feb. 22nd 2009 we woke up on a typical Sunday Morning. Pastor Tracy had joint pain in his elbows and he could not get relief from the pain so I called a few people to pray. The pain went completely away he got up to make some tea and the pain returned I called more people to pray.

He began to feel much better and so we got dressed to go to church for him to preach. When we got to the church he had no pain. I let him off in front of the office so he could go print his message and I parked I told him I would just go in the main door. All of a sudden I changed my mind for whatever reason I am not real sure I just wanted to go be with him. I walked into the office and I noticed he looked a little shocked. I said I changed my mind I wanted to come and go out to the service with you. So he sat down and I walked closer to the desk and I said to him “you look so handsome” he smiled his sideways smile and said thanks.

He then said is a message on the answering machine and I said I will check them real quick. He said don’t put it on speaker in case the worship music stops they will hear it.

Before I finished listening to the messages he fell onto the floor pushing my body over the desk. I yelled Tracy Oh my Lord Tracy…he eyes looked glazed over and I knew it wasn’t good…I started to call 911 then I changed gears to go get some help I looked out to the congregation and I Larry saw my paniced look and I waved hurry… and other people saw the fear on my face and said this cannot be good.

They worked on him while Larry finished the call to 911 to get them their. Then I saw Tracys face and I knew he had died I wasn’t sure of all the details it was so emotional at that moment he was turning blue and every second seem like forever. They got a pulse and then they lost it this happen a few times while Brett Schryer was doing cpr as fast as he could an Fred T. and Brian F. was there giving him mouth to mouth to help him breath.

It was the worst moments of my life I was on my knees rocking back and forth as I told the Lord I cannot live without him. Please don’t take him let him live please God we need him. I could not put my mind around this whole thing. I also went and told Sharon to get Joni they needed to pray and I told Tonja to stop and pray for him.

So a volunteer fireman got the call on the scanner and he stopped by to help out until the ambulance got there. They lost him twice after they got a pulse…they had to use the paddles on him. I had to leave the room.

All I could think is I will never feel the warmth of his embrace I kept saying that I cannot live without him. As I watch them doing cpr I could not believe this was happening.It did not seem real. I just kept talking to the Lord as I felt panic in my soul.

Joni and Wayne was praying and while others were standing around with tear filled eyes it really looked like we were loosing him.

The E.M.T s got there and they had to shock him twice to a pulse and transferred him to Columbus E.R. I rode in the ambulance they told me he is doing ok as the doctor communicated by phone to the moving ambulance. I got out of the ambulance when we got there and I walked up to him and he said “hi baby”…I was somewhat relieve not still fearful.

They began hooking him up to see what was wrong with him it did not take the doctor (Fox) but a few minutes he turned and ask if I was his wife and I said yes and he said we are life lining him to St. Francis.

I said ok and I about that time a nurse came to tell me my kids were in the waiting room. They were were so scared they had followed the ambulance and it was going kinda slow so they thought he had died I found out later.

I asked the nurse if she would go tell my children that is talking she yes be happy to…she found my children without asking by all our church family surrounding them.

When she told them they both burst out into tears for relief to know he was alive.

They told me to stay until the chopper took off just in case something happen to him. I waited until the last minute the flight nurse took my number on her hand in case
They changed courses to another hospital it was known to happen.

I got swept off by Joni and Penny to take me to the hospital I was none too happy that I would not be there when he arrived because I had to wait until he lifted off.

But my family was swept off and taxied by church famly
to the hospital so they were there when he arrived and saw him taken off the
Chopper and Steve Bell saw his smile and felt like he is going to be ok.It was a shock when we found out they almost lost him during the surgery.

The doctor said there were a couple tense moments but no heart damage and this artery that was 100% clogged was very rare to cause a heart attack. It immediately shut down the blood supply to the brian killing him.

After the stint was put in everything went up hill from there. His A-line (the artery they used in his leg to put the Stint in) was taken out hours before they thought they would no problem with the site they call it. If that artery blows it could be real bad as well.

Everything went well so they took him off of all the liquid supplied to him thru his veins by Monday night.

He came home on Tuesday morning.

Tracy's Ticker Update
from Pastor Tracy

February 26th, 2009

Hello Church Family and Friends;

As most of you know, Sunday Morning I had some strange joint pain - according to every nurse and Dr. locally and at St. Francis - that is not a normal heart attack sign - we called that morning before coming to church to ask.

It went away, I felt good, went to church and was sitting at a desk in the church office, I said something to Darlene (my wife) and then fell out of the chair, on to her and on to the floor - dead, with zero warning (other than the earlier joint pain) and with not pain or recollection of anything that happened while on the floor in the church office.

I did not see a bright light, to which my brother Tony attributes to all the "lies" I've told in the pulpit about beating him up when we were kids - he is actually 4 years older than me, so beating him up wasn't possible when we were young, so the stories I tell have to be "embellished" for me to look good. Of course now I could whip him without a problem.

I received about 20 minutes (according to the stories of heard) of aggressive CPR (explaining my horrible rib cage pain) then two "shocks" with whatever they call that machine, I was transported to Columbus Regional and then immediately Lifelined to St. Francis South - and I am enduring the image that is etched in my mind of having mouth to mouth by two men in the congregation.

I came home Tuesday at noon and have been healing up nicely everyday and my wife is a FANTASTIC care giver, thank God for wives and their ability to love and care for us.

The Dr. communicated to us clearly that I have NO heart damage (PTL), but I will be going back in 3 - 4 weeks for a second stint to better open up another artery.

The outpouring of love and prayers by you all and the Body of Christ at large has been overwhelming and I'm sure it has expedited my healing process.

Thanks for all the prayers, cards, kind words and visits.

You all are GREAT people of God.

Have a BLESSED day.

Tracy

Story that ran in the Rupublic

by Brian Blair

March 11, 2009

THE Rev. Tracy McIntyre understands the biblical wisdom about a merry heart being good medicine.
Just the other day, I recalled a story he told at one of the quarterly ministers’ breakfasts he launched and coordinates.

Seems a sweet, 14-year-old girl asked him if he would allow teens to rollerblade in his multipurpose Crossroads Community Church.

“I thought, ‘Well, what could it hurt?’” said McIntyre, mentioning that the worship area also is made to be interchangeable for basketball.

“So, the next Sunday morning, when we start the music for the worship service, here comes that girl rollerblading,” said McIntyre, breaking into a smile. “I thought maybe she’d launched a new form of worship.”

I want McIntyre, pastor of Crossroads Community Church near the Bartholomew and Jennings County line, to get all the medicine he needs these days.

He suffered a heart attack Feb. 22 in his office during the service at Crossroads, where he also stopped breathing several times.

A couple of church members performed CPR until medics arrived 20 minutes later.

“As I watched them doing CPR, I could not believe this was happening,” said wife Darlene. “It did not seem real.”

He eventually underwent surgery at St. Francis Hospital to have a stent inserted into an artery.

With the exception of returning to church the following Sunday, he has been recuperating at home.

And for that, I thank God.

I’ve always appreciated his humor, even amid teachings he presented years ago on Christian radio or sermons he’s preached at Crossroads, where my wife once helped with music.

Today more than ever, I feel blessed to have him as an agent of unity among believers. I say that because, in years past, I have been critical of area churches sometimes failing to join together for the sake of everything from outreach to youth events.

But McIntyre’s informal breakfasts have helped change that. When I attended one in October 2006, 30 pastors, worship leaders, missionaries and others from all backgrounds and beliefs enjoyed simple fun and fellowship.

And they acknowledged that the gatherings without an agenda allowed them to form relationships that led to bridge building between everyone from Presbyterians to Pentecostals.

“Tracy is a pastor to pastors, and most people in the community don’t realize what a blessing he is,” said the Rev. Ron Walker of Zion Springs Fellowship.

Brother-in-law and Crossroads elder Larry Shryer said McIntyre is laid-back enough “not to be threatening to anybody, and also serious enough not to be compromising” on issues of faith.

So the pastor is recuperating these days and overflowing with gratitude for all who have remembered him and his family.

“A huge thank you for all the prayers,” he said, adding that he wanted to do more to thank the community. “They have worked wonders.”

I know many wait for the day he returns to full-time ministry. Who knows? To celebrate, maybe they could all come rollerblading up the aisle at Crossroads.

Brian Blair is a Republic reporter. He can be reached at 379-5672 or bblair@therepublic.com.