Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 1, 2022

By Devin Weeks “Blessed are those who go in circles, for they should be called a wheel,” 81-year-old John Hahn said with a chuckle. The former pastor and retired antique tractor seat salesman isn’t one to run in circles, even more than two decades after his first heart attack and two subsequent heart attacks. The later attacks weren’t as severe, but they did require stents. John’s then-cardiologist, Eric Orme, M.D., recommended John’s heart receive a technological upgrade. “I was on the exam table and Dr. Orme rolled his chair to me, looked me in the eye and said, ‘John, you are a No. 1 candidate for a pacemaker and a defibrillator,’” he said. Heart health hasn’t been perfect for John, of Craigmont, Idaho. Once he was driving to Coeur d’Alene for a procedure when his blood pressure skyrocketed and his passenger took the wheel. “My blood pressure was too high,” said John, who was taken to Kootenai Health’s emergency department. “I said, ‘I’ve got a heart problem,’ and it wasn’t five minutes and they had me in a room. Within 10 minutes, there must have been 10 nurses and doctors in there.” ‘Veryblessed’ Dr. Orme was John’s cardiologist from his first heart attack in 1995 until 2018, when Dr. Orme went part time and dedicated his practice to heart failure. He continues to consult for Heart Clinics Northwest. Dr. Orme said John has lived a rewarding yet activity-limited life while living with chronic heart disease. “After a series of cardiac events Living Life to theFullest Heart patient still ticking along at 81 years young Heart attack survivor John Hahn, 81, enjoys tinkering with his antique tractor collection. 6