Gene S.

Gene remembers feeling a painful sensation as if someone was grabbing his throat. After his wife called 9-1-1, Gene insisted emergency responders take him to Hillcrest and the cardiologists of Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI). Gene was rushed into an operating room for open-heart surgery. When he woke, his doctor told him it was a miracle he was alive and asked what he planned to do with his new life. In that moment, Gene realized he wanted to be an inspiration to others and began volunteering several days a week at OHI.