It was an icy December day two years ago when the Jamestown Fire Chief injured himself during a Christmas fire call.

Jim Reuther joined the Jamestown Fire Department in 1989 and was promoted to chief in 2008.

Reuther said he lives by a motto from his late mother, Peggy Reuther. She died of cancer at age 41.

“Take care of others. There will be a time when others take care of you,” she had said.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

So while it’s not usually the chief’s job to climb the roof of a burning building, when the team was short-staffed and a house was on fire, he did it anyway.

Reuther slipped on the icy rung of a ladder that day, consequently tearing a tendon in his right foot.

Since then, JRMC Podiatrist/ Fook & Ankle Surgeon Dr. Rachael Renschler operated on him twice, most recently on Dec. 12. During surgery, Reuther said he went into Atrial fibrillation, an irregular, rapid heart rate caused by low blood flow. If not treated quickly and appropriately, Afib can cause a stroke or heart failure.

REUTHER’S RECOLLECTION

What comes next is blurry – Reuther says he remembers hearing people talk about “Afib” and thinking “surely, they don’t mean me.” He remembers Registered Nurses Erin Anderson, Brooke Thom, and Chris Lunde as well as Drs. James Torrance and Nurse Anesthetist James Metzger.

Going into Afib while in surgery is not common, Dr. Renschler said, though it can happen, especially in someone with a history of heart conditions. Afib can make the heart beat so quickly that a person’s pulse skyrockets and the heart can’t pump enough blood out. If the blood doesn’t move constantly, it is at risk of clotting.

Many patients either feel pain or their vital signs indicate a problem, suggesting Afib. Reuther, however, never noticed either of these. Finding out about a heart condition in the operating room was serendipitous, he said. Now, he can treat and improve his heart, rather than run the risk of stroke.

“It was the team all the way. They gave me a comfortable feeling all the way through,” Reuther said. ”They exceeded my expectations and people should know that.”

Reuther said he appreciates all the care at JRMC, from admissions to the surgery center and from the clinic to the Emergency Department.

“This is the level of care we provide all patients,” Dr. Renschler said. “We appreciate Jim’s faith and trust in us.”

Weeks later, Reuther is back to work, though he still wears a boot to protect his leg. He is scheduled for a stress test and EKG, both at JRMC.

He is even recommending Jamestown Regional Medical Center to friends and coworkers, most recently to a colleague who slipped on the ice.

“If you can’t go to your doctor, go the Emergency Department in Jamestown. They’re good there,” he said.

Local residents often assume care at bigger hospitals is better, he said. And from his experience, that is not always the case.

“These people care,” he said of the JRMC team. “Everybody cares. They would not be doing this is they did not care. It is only right that they are acknowledged. We must give credit where credit is due.”

To learn more about podiatry or cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, call (701) 952-1050.

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