WELLINGTON — Hector Florentino was driving along Southern Boulevard on March 12 when he felt a slight tug in his chest. A minute later, the discomfort inflamed to crushing pain.
"This is it,” the Wellington equestrian recalls thinking as he swerved to the side of the road. "The only thing this can be is a heart attack."
The 51-year-old, whose father died of a heart attack at age 40, was ominously correct. It was what medical professionals call a "widowmaker" —when a coronary artery is 100% blocked and prevents oxygen from getting to the heart muscles.
Paramedics rushed him to Wellington Regional Medical Center, where doctors saved his life by performing an angioplasty in record-breaking time. They completed the 90-minute procedure in 39 minutes and placed a stent in 25 minutes.
"I haven’t seen one quicker since I’ve been here,” said Tammy Levasseur, Wellington Regional's cardiovascular coordinator.
On Aug. 12, exactly five months after the heart attack, Florentino returned to the hospital to thank the team of paramedics, doctors, nurses and hospital staff that cared for him.
“I am grateful for the whole team that did a great job together,” Florentino said. "I was feeling perfect, and the next minute I was almost dead.”
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Florentino woke up early the day of his heart attack and gave lessons at a Wellington horse-riding school from 7:30-9:30 a.m.
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He was driving to a noon lesson in Loxahatchee when he felt a subtle discomfort in his chest, similar to heartburn. On a 10-point scale, the pain started at two. Less than a minute later it shot up to 10.
Florentino managed to pull into a gas station, call his wife, Giovana, and then dial 911.
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Palm Beach County Fire Rescue found him sweating, nauseous, short of breath and unable to open his eyes when a crew arrived eight minutes later. The pain was unbearable and he began kicking his car’s dashboard.
Giovana got to the scene right before they took off and rode with them to Wellington Regional.The paramedics were quiet while they hovered over Florentino's body. All she could hear were his screams.
At Wellington Regional, Levasseur and a group of doctors, nurses and staff were waiting for him outside the emergency entrance.
They cut off his shirt, ripped his riding pants and were about to cut through his favorite pair of riding boots before Florentino, who was almost passed out, pleaded with them to just take them off.
Doctors found Florentino had an artery that was 100% clogged. Only about 12% of patients survive a "widowmaker", according to the American Heart Association. That percentage goes up to 25% if the patient is already in the hospital.
The doctors pressed on Florentino's leg and inserted a stent, atiny, metal mesh coil that expands and keeps the artery from closing again.After 10 minutes, Florentino felt relief. He opened his eyes and caught his breath.
Doctors told Giovana her husband would've died if he hadn't gotten to the hospital on time.
"It was all about time,” Giovana Florentino said. “That is why it’s called a widowmaker. It's just a matter of time before the heart doesn't get enough oxygen and just shuts down.”
Hector Florentino spent four days in intensive care and was discharged three days later without any residual damage from the surgery.
"I was just super lucky," he said. "Everything happened so quickly.”
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Florentino says the doctors at Wellington Regional gave him "a second chance in life", and he is now gearing up to fulfill his lifelong dream of returning to compete in the Olympics.
He represented the Dominican Republic in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo for show jumping and wants to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
A week after returning home, he got back on his horse. Three weeks later, Florentino resumed teaching riding lessons.
Florentino said he feels grateful that he was able to return to his normal life, next to his wife and horses in Wellington. The couple will now celebrate March 12 as his second birthday.
"We’ve got to do what we need to do here fast,” Floretino said. “Because we don't know tomorrow.”
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her atvpalm@pbpost.comand follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism:Subscribe today.
