NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – In 2022, Mike Yonkers was volunteering at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah when he began feeling pressure in his chest, something he had felt for two weeks.
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“I was just trying to catch my breath, and this person in blue came around,” Yonkers said.
A stranger noticed something was not right and asked if he was ok.
“She said, ‘You really need to go to the emergency department,’ and she walked me down several yards,” Yonkers said. “I didn’t see her again.”
Doctors soon confirmed Yonkers was having a heart attack, later underwent triple bypass surgery.
“I owe her my life,” Yonkers said, referring to the woman who helped him.
Now in 2026, the two reunited at Neenah ThedaCare Regional Medical Center for the first time, Erin Rusch, who was at the time a ThedaStar flight nurse, but now a registered nurse in the emergency department.
“I thought I had to at least ask, I can’t walk past and not at least ask about him,” Rusch said.
Rusch said the reunion brought her answers she never knew she would be able to get.
“Even years later, to find out that gut instinct was right, and I get to meet him!” Rusch said. “It was absolutely humbling.”
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Now healthy and volunteering again, Yonkers said he hopes his story teaches others learn to take symptoms seriously, even if it doesn’t end up being serious.
“Take your symptoms seriously, even if it turns out to be a false alarm, it’s worth taking the time and effort to get checked out,” Yonkers said.
