From Crisis to Care: Jean-Louis’s Life-Saving Journey to the Saint John Regional Hospital.

My name is Jean-Louis Arsenault, and I am a grateful patient of the Saint John Regional Hospital.

On December 31st, 1997, at age 39, my day started like any other. I went to my local gym in Charlottetown, PEI for a workout before the New Year. But within minutes, something didn’t feel right. I started sweating far more than usual and then came the nausea and the dizziness. I tried to push through it, but my body kept getting weaker.

By the time I sat down to call my wife, sweat was pooling on the table in front of me. I knew something was very wrong.

My family rushed me to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in PEI, where doctors told me I was having a massive

heart attack. They gave me clot-busting medication, but they told me I needed to get to the Saint John Regional Hospital, immediately for life-saving cardiac care.

On the ambulance ride to Saint John, my heart stopped. Twice. Each time, the paramedics brought me back.

The next thing I remember is arriving at the Regional Hospital, home to the New Brunswick Heart Centre. A doctor stood at the end of my stretcher and said, “We’ve got you. You’re going to be okay.” In that moment, despite everything happening around me, I felt calm and Safe. I knew I was exactly where I needed to be.

They brought me straight into the operating room. The team worked like a well-oiled machine — no panic, no hesitation, just complete professionalism. I was awake during the stent procedure, watching on the monitor as they guided it into place. And when that stent opened, I felt instant relief. I will never forget that feeling.

I stayed just one night in Saint John. But even in that short time, the compassion of the staff left a deep impression on me. The next morning, a nurse told me breakfast would be coming soon — and when she returned, she brought me a piece of toast she had brought from home for her own lunch. She wanted to make sure I could eat right away. That simple act of kindness is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Happy to say, I am doing great these days.

When I look back now, I realize how close I came to not surviving that day. Twice, my heart stopped. Twice, I was brought back. And thanks to the incredible team at the Saint John Regional Hospital, I’m here to tell this story.