[NOTE: This was originally posted in January 2024. Gail’s husband is doing very well and they’ve been back to happily RVing for quite awhile.]
By Gail Marsh
I’ve learned so much over the past couple of weeks. We were only four hours into our long trek to Florida when my worst nightmare unexpectedly became a reality. While parked at the fueling lanes at a Love’s Truck Stop, my husband, Keith, began to experience pain in his left arm. The pain quickly escalated and persisted, so we called 911. After a quick trip to the local emergency room, where they determined he had a heart attack, Keith was transferred to a larger hospital nearby, where doctors inserted a stent into his heart. Thankfully, he’s doing very well, and the doctors expect a full and speedy recovery. Experiencing a heart attack while RVing on the road taught me several things. Here’s what I learned.
Lessons I learned from experiencing a heart attack while RVing:
Caravanning is good
There can be downsides to traveling with other RVers. I’ve even written about the challenges caravanners sometimes face. However, I will be forever grateful that we were caravanning to Florida with my sister’s family. Together, we’d planned our route, reserved campgrounds, and then eagerly began our trip south.
When Keith’s sudden arm pain escalated, it was so good to have family with us. Best of all, my sister is a retired nurse. She quickly determined that Keith needed medical help—and needed it immediately! My brother-in-law moved our RV away from the fuel pumps and received permission from Love’s to let it remain parked in their busy lot for several days, if necessary. Our family stayed with us in the hospital until Keith was clearly on his way to recovery. The emotional support they provided was invaluable! Caravanning is good!
Campground folks are great
Another lesson I learned was that campground folks are by and large good-hearted people. When my sister called to explain our health emergency and therefore our delayed arrival, the CG manager could not have been more accommodating. They did not charge our family or my sister’s family—even when my sister arrived days later. “You’ve been through enough,” they told her. “We know it’s not much, but to help out we’re not accepting any money for your two-night stay with us. It’s on the house.” Campground folks are great!
Small towns have big hearts
I’ll admit I had some doubts when the small town EMTs arrived at the Love’s Truck Stop. (It took less than two minutes after the 911 call was placed.) The three emergency workers quickly assessed the situation and, before I knew it, I was riding in the ambulance to the hospital with my husband.
Everyone at the tiny community hospital showed great compassion and supreme competence as they determined that Keith had indeed experienced a heart attack and would need surgery.
I’d given my phone number to the gal at Love’s in case there was any issue with our fifth wheel RV. Hours later she called to see how we were doing. “Your RV’s fine here. Our guys will keep an eye on it. You just take care of your husband.” From the EMTs to the doctors and nurses to the Love’s crew, I learned that small towns have big hearts! Very big hearts!
Check your coverage
One thing we did not worry about was getting our RV home. We’ve carried Coach-Net emergency roadside assistance for several years. I called them to explain our situation. I was more than a little surprised to discover that our member number was not linked to our actual RV! In fact, our member number referenced a different RV manufacturer, different model, and different year!
Thankfully, our son-in-law was visiting St. Louis at the time, and he graciously offered to take our RV home.
I learned that it’s a good idea to check your coverage! Make sure to carry an up-to-date membership card and that your membership number matches your current RV. Check your coverage before you need help!
God is good
I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment. Looking back on everything that happened, I can clearly see God’s protection and grace. I do not believe in coincidences. We were in a perfect place (if there is such a thing) for Keith’s heart attack to happen. God surrounded us with family, provided excellent medical teams, and even prompted strangers to reach out to us in love. God is good.
RVing is for us!
Now a few days away from the harrowing situation, my husband and I are back home. Our RV is sitting in storage, but it won’t be there for long. After talking together and with our children, Keith and I have decided to continue our RV life. Yes, there can be setbacks and challenges—even crises—but we love RVing. As soon as Keith is cleared to travel, we’ll be back on the road! No more heart attacks while RVing!
We look forward to the travel, the people we’ll meet, and the lessons waiting to be learned. I can do without the emergencies, but I’m looking forward to the future because RVing is for us!
Have you ever experienced a health emergency while RVing? Tell me about it in the comments below.
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What a traumatic experience. I’m glad to hear that your husband should recover quickly. Prayers for you and your family.
Thanks, Cookie (and everyone else) for your prayers and kind words. They mean so much to Keith and to me.
Travel safely.
Wow! Scary stuff, Gail. I’m glad hubby is on the mend.
So glad that your DH is on the mend – good reminders in your article!
Hope Keith is doing good and luckily he had the heart attack while refueling and not driving. God blessed me with a guardian angel who helped me walk out of a bad accident which showed a medical issue afterwards that could have killed me which that I thought I’d never have.
I hope Keith has a speedy & full recovery so you be on the road again! Hope to hear more of your adventures!~
Snoopy
Thank you for writing Gail and we wish Keith the best!
We carry insurance from Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+). It covers a wide variety of travel emergency situations, including air travel, getting an RV home (or a storage site), vehicles (and RVs) back to a rental agency, getting pets home, getting a family member to you, etc. However, for RV returns the policy holder has to have a livable domicile not just a mail forwarding service. It might not cover FT RVers.
Thank you, Gail. I am very glad that things went so well. I have found that God’s plan is always better than mine, 🙂 yet I still complain when I don’t get my way. 🙁 I pray that Keith’s recovery is swift and complete and that the rest of your trip passes without incident. 🙏❤️🙂😊
Thank you, Neal. He’s recovering very well, and we hope to be back on the road soon. I agree that God’s plan is always better. Looking at how He orchestrated events and moved so many people to help certainly made that very clear!
Hope you are staying warm in this deep freeze!
Thank you, Gail. Peachy keen. 🙂 We have more firewood than we can ever burn, and will certainly begin using it if we lose electricity. 🙂 Or, we’ll just drive to the RV and turn on the generator. 🙂
I’m glad that all turned out well, and yes, God is good!
All the time, Carol. Peace and joy in the New Year!
Praise the Lord for His grace! I’m glad your husband and you are doing well. Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s so good to hear of all the helpful and generous people who helped you during this emergency.
Ours wasn’t with the RV, but we experienced the same kind of 911 aid and kindness while we were vacationing in Hawaii. We did have a family emergency when we were traveling and also found the CG and others so kind and giving. I, like you, believe that God provides and surrounds us with light and goodness.
Interesting, and scary, story! Thank heavens you guys were in a refueling lane, and not on the road, when it happened. I am a retired ER Nurse and during the course of my career, I spent time in a lot of small town ER’s. I found that those nurses have had to deal with everything and typically really know what they’re doing. I’m not surprised that the local ambulance service and ER impressed you.
I luckily (?) discovered my medical emergency before getting out on the road. Just after this past Thanksgiving I had a chance to get an echo cardiogram a few months early before renewing my CDL. Bad news. Since then an EKG followed up with an angiogram which determined I’ll be having open heart surgery in a week and a half.
With God’s love and good graces, and surrounded by my family and friends, I hope to be back out in the RV maybe sometime this summer.
I hope to see and hear that you both, Gail and Keith, are back on the road again soon!
Yikes! So sorry to hear that, Bill. But I’m glad they caught it when they did before it got worse. Good luck with your surgery and have a speedy recovery so you can get out on the road again soon! 🤗 –Diane
Thank you. I didn’t want to say anything, but this opportunity presented itself..a reminder for all things : when in doubt, check it out
That’s very true, and very important! I’m glad you checked it out in time, Bill. Take care.🤗 –Diane
Prayers to the Lord for your successful surgery and many, many more RVing adventures, Bill.
Thank you Gail, and best wishes going forward for both you and Keith
I pray it goes well, Bill Byerly! 🙏❤️🙂
Thank you Neal Davis !
Good to hear all worked out for you both. You may consider a “heart start” type defibrillator or similar device in the near future. Train on it, the life you save is worth it.
We experienced something similar. Aug 9th we pulled into Jellystone Park in Sioux Falls, SD. Just an overnight stay. We were headed to Gillette, WY for the FMCA Convention, but we’re taking a few days to see the sites in SD. The next morning, my husband was very dizzy, and starting to slurring his words. I called 911, and they transported him to Avera Hospital. He suffered 3 strokes and a heart attack. They started him on a heparin drip and he started coming around. FMCA’s Global Assist program got us home to Arizona when he was able to fly, and transported the RV. Thank goodness we had that coverage.
“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous”
Albert Einstein
I am greatful for your story Gail. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
Wishing Keith a speedy recovery, that you may both be back on the road shortly.
God willing, we will! Thanks, Cancelproof!
Safe travels to you!
I love the Einstein quote!
Orange Grove RV park near Bakersfield CA allowed us to extend our stay, even tho it was the height of their season, without penalty a few years ago. I had to take my husband into Emergency in the wee hours of the night due to the pain he was experiencing. They were so accommodating.
Speedy recovery. And thanks for reminding us all anything can happen any time.
Best wishes for Keith to have a speedy and full recovery Gail. Thank you for sharing your positive thoughts, and for all of the great articles you write!
1 year ago last week, we pulled into a park @ Harcuvar AZ. Unhooked @ went to bed, to up the next morning. DW gets up early. later I hear commotion in the kitchen to find her dizzy & throwing up. I’m OK she says. 3rd trash can visit she says OK call 911 the Lord said “I’ve got this”
Fire crew arrives. Ambulance from Parker less than 30 (over an hour away)
EKG’s by both show heart blockage.
Helicopter, same one we have coverage with is called.
The ambulance crew stands by & gives me direction & safest, fastest route to the hospital.
I call our 3 kids in CA & ID neighbors question kids who why etc. 3 days were back home.
We stopped in Van Horn TX to have the coach and Jeep inspected. My wife was walking from the parked coach and she tripped over an uneven slab of concrete. The ambulance run was two hours back to El Paso. On the way I called the hospital and arranged to park the coach in their parking lot overnight. Security was most helpful and met me a the gate to open an easy path to where they wanted me to park. The broken hip was “repaired” the next day and I found a nearby campground, El Paso Road Runner RV, to wait out recovery and rehab. Three weeks later our son flew in to be a co driver for the trip to his house in Virginia. I decided not to call Coach-net.
So happy things worked out for you, XC. Goes to show that there are still good people in the world! Safe travels!
Wishing Keith a speedy recovery.
Thanks, Impavid. He’s doing really well. With our -25 degree “feel like” temperatures, he’s ready to get back on the road to Florida! Stay safe and warm!
I can empathize with you last Monday night as we were going to bed DW suddenly acted strange, asking what was wrong she said she had chest pains. We called 911 and rescue squad and ambulance arrived in minutes. 3 days later after several tests they gave her a stress test which said it wasn’t a heart attack, more tests and she was released with prescriptions for acid reflux. I’ve had that for years but never felt like I was having a heart attack, very relieved she didn’t have heart attack.
Hope your wife is feeling better, Bob! Best wishes!
I had very mild chest pain 2-3 times a year several years ago. Tests showed nothing wrong. Four years later we were about to leave Florida for home when very minor chest pain didn’t go away. Urgent care a mile away did an ekg and (being a retired FF/EMT) showed me the EKG. WOW! Don’t know how I was still alive. Hospital 5 miles away with a doctor waiting for me. Mild sedative kept me awake as the MD and I talked. Two stents in the LDA (left descending aorta) sure helped. Survival rate is less than 10%! God was with me then and still watches over me.
Whew! Glad you made it through and are still going strong, Tom! Take care, and have a warm and cozy night.🤗 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Thanks Gail, I felt uplifted by your joy and positivity…what a perspective on how it can work out for good in the end. Best to you and Keith. Do you carry a portable defibrillator?
We plan to talk about getting one when we see the cardiologist. Thanks for your kind words!
Gail, hope you and Keith are feeling better. This is one of those situations that we don’t want to think about but we should. Thanks for sharing your story…it will help the rest of us prepare for the worst. We can hope it doesn’t happen, but hope is not a plan.
Thanks for sharing what turned out to be a wonderful story as well as a happy ending. As we get older these things become more possible. I have A-Fib bouts so I carry an AED in my camper. I am also a part of a camping club where many of the members are over 65 years old so I am glad to always have it in my camper and the group knows this. SO far there has not been a need but I’m glad to know it’s available. A little pricey, but cheap insurance compared to the outcome if not available.
Gail
Glad to hear things went well and Keith is on the mend.
“Happy trails to you…” (RR)
Hi, Mike. I was trying to figure out what (RR) was for. First thought was railroad. No. Then it was like laughing, i.e., arr arr. Nope. Ah ha. Roy Rogers. Yes! But now I’ll be singing that song for awhile.🙄 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Glad you ‘roped’ that one in Diane.
😉 Here’s something to get stuck in your brain:
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.
Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a song, and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
—-
That was one of my favorite programs when I was a kid, along with The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid, and others. Have a great day, Mike. 😀 –Diane
Good to hear your husband is on the road to recovery. My MIL has a stroke at gas station in Indiana while RVing, (stick house is in CA). Gas station people were great, The station attendant park the trailer out of the way, plugged it into electricity while ambulance was on the way. FIL took the truck to hospital. When he came back a day later they had contacted a campground close to the hospital, explained the circumstances, and provided direction and hooked up trailer.
Sounds like you’ve discovered the real America and what truly makes our country the best. Glad Keith is doing better and hopefully chomping at the bit to get back out on the road.
Thanks for sharing your experience and how God works in our lives. Prayers for both of you! We too have experienced God’s protection in our full time travels and have been blessed with great medical assist in some small towns. Each were comparable to any received in our highly rated medical center in Houston. Here’s to a healthy 2024!
Amen to that!
About 10 years ago, we were in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert visiting an old preserved desert home with no one else around. My wife, who had been experiencing some minor issues with shortness of breath, suddenly couldn’t walk the 1/4 mile back to the truck without multiple stops to recover. We went to Las Vegas Hospital, where they ran every imaginable test, but couldn’t find the issue. It took 6 months & several more doctors before we found the issue while back in Michigan. She had hyperthyroidism, a common problem that any doctor should have tested for. Now, years later, we’re still fulltiming & ‘Chasin Our Dream’.
Just a note for those that don’t know, a lot of hospitals have rv parking with hook ups if you have someone in the hospital, for no charge. We have stayed in the parking lots several times.
A strong faith in God, or whomever you choose, can work miracles.
I’m so glad to hear that everything turned out alright and that your husband is on the mend!
What a wonderful article. Informative, well written and even inspiring! So glad it all worked out for you. We just lost a dear RV’ing friend this morning out of the blue. Was just texting with him earlier this week, and he was making travel plans for the rest of the year. Yes, you were most assuredly blessed.
Thank you for the reminder, Gail! I hope that Keith is still doing well. Have a great week and safe travels!