After cheating death twice in the last past 12 months, Wonthaggi's Ian Rixon attributes his third chance at life to his "angels" at Bass Coast Health (BCH).
His life changed on May 1, 2024 when he was in the cabin of a truck with a cherry picker that rolled. Despite escaping with his life and tearing a major muscle in his shoulder, his health dramas did not end there.
'Ricko', as he is commonly known, then gained 16kg in weight over eight weeks. One day in mid-August, he was surprised by how he struggled to walk a kilometre. That night, his health began to deteriorate and the next morning, he called for an ambulance to take him to the Emergency Department at Wonthaggi Hospital. Ian was assessed and with a plan for further follow-up, was discharged.
The following Monday, he received a phone call from BCH's Rapid Access Atrial Fibrillation Clinic Nurse Consultant Angela Tiziani, asking him to return to Emergency for prompt medical attention. Next morning, he was admitted to Kodowlinun Acute Ward for care.
A specialist later told him he had suffered heart failure.
"I had been feeling fluid in ankles and my lungs. I knew that I had not been eating too much to put on the weight. It was my heart struggling with the fluid that had built up," Ricko said.
"My heart was like an old weatherboard house. The weatherboards were deteriorating, and the frame of the house was falling apart."
After five days in the Kodowlinun ward, Ricko was cared for at home by BCH's Hospital in the Home (HITH) team, providing hospital-level care in the comfort of his own surrounds - a service Ricko described as "brilliant".
He is now on the road to recovery, having been prescribed medications that are working well, undergone a procedure at The Alfred to clean his heart and repair damaged tissue, and having a pacemaker inserted to enhance his heart function.
Ricko also attended BCH's cardiac rehabilitation program to improve his cardiovascular function and is now able to walk further than he did before starting the program.
Above all, he's still here for his four children and nine grandchildren, with the birth of his tenth grandchild imminent.
"The way the team at Bass Coast Health got together was just fantastic. They were sensational," he said.
"The staff of BCH, as well as at The Alfred, I can't commend them enough. When I saw Harry (Warne, BCH Cardiac Liaison Nurse) again, the first thing I did was give him a hug.
"The whole team at Bass Coast Health are lifesavers because of the care, empathy, commitment and dedication they showed. From Emergency through to the Acute Ward, to HITH and the cardiac team, it's been such a well coordinated response."
Ricko joined Heart Support Australia's Wonthaggi Peer Support Group for "fellowship and encouragement". He's met others who have suffered heart conditions and together, they share their experiences and support one another through their psychological recovery.
The group meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 10am at the Wonthaggi Senior Citizens Centre at 6 Murray Street. To learn more, email John Carter on john.carter48@bigpond.com or head online to www.heartsupport.org.au
To learn more about BCH's cardiology services, go to: www.basscoasthealth.org.au/cardiology