Cass Regional Medical Center | Wellness Matters | Spring 2020

Spring 2020 Bill “Bud” Rogers, of Louisburg, Kansas, came to Cass Regional Medical Center after seeing his cardiologist to complete a pulmonary function test. Tonya Lichte, RRT, who is the lead respiratory therapist at Cass Regional, noticed something was off with Rogers. “He didn’t look well and was short of breath,” said Lichte. “His heart rate should have been at an exercise rate when he arrived after walking from the waiting room, but it was low, and he was very short of air.” She had him rest and then completed the pulmonary function test. “I assessed him again after he rested and found his heart rate to be in the low 40s,” said Lichte. “Checking vital signs is not a normal part of performing outpatient pulmonary testing, but because he was complaining of shortness of breath and being tired, I decided to check further. Luckily his slow heart rate occurred when I was able to catch it.” She then suggested that he go to the Emergency Department despite the fact that he had recently been to see his cardiologist and had gone through cardiac testing. It took some convincing, but he agreed to go. Rogers was transferred to a Kansas City-area hospital the next day and had a pacemaker put in. “Tonya is a modest person, but she saved my life that day,” said Rogers. Before having the pacemaker, his heartbeat would often be dangerously low, and now it is normal—consistently at 60. “My quality of life is so much better and I owe that to Tonya,” Rogers said. Rogers came back to Cass Regional after he recovered to give Lichte a gift for saving his life. He brought her fishing lures and told her it was the “just doing your job award.” Rogers has been a patient in many of the different service lines offered at Cass Regional. From pain management to the ear, nose and throat clinic to surgery, he says every experience has been positive. “I don’t go anywhere but Cass Regional Medical Center,” he said. Divine intervention I don’t go anywhere but Cass Regional Medical Center. Bill Rogers with Tonya Lichte, RRT, the therapist he credits with saving his life. Here for Your Health