More than luck: Grateful patient returns to thank Pulse team that saved her life

Dori Schoenbein started her day much like any other on Sept. 6, 2019. She got out of bed, got ready for the day and had breakfast with her family. But that seemingly normal day would soon stand out in her memory forever.

Schoenbein, then 49, began experiencing discomfort and chest tightness. She went to the MultiCare Tacoma General Emergency Department, thinking she was having a heart attack. Later she found out she was experiencing spontaneous coronary artery dissection, which occurs when a tear forms in a blood vessel in the heart.

The care team rushed Schoenbein to the hospital’s cath lab for treatment, but she went into cardiac arrest as they arrived. The team performed CPR on her for 40 minutes before Tobias Lee, MD, FACC, and Dan Mumme, MD, used ECMO — a lifesaving technology similar to a heart and lung bypass machine — to keep her alive while addressing her coronary artery.

Miraculously, she survived. Schoenbein spent a week in the cardiovascular intensive care unit recovering from this event. When she woke on Sept. 13, 2019, she was surrounded by her family — husband Frank, daughter Hannah and son Zach — who never left her side.

Three years later to the day, the family returned to Tacoma General to celebrate her survival.

Schoenbein’s care team greeted her warmly, she said. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude and joy as she reflected on her time at Tacoma General. She shared memories of personal touches from the Pulse Heart Institute team members, such as the nurse who took the time to braid her hair, and another who made sure she had her preferred personal care items.

Her family reflected on Dr. Lee’s stellar care of them as well. He had seen the pizza and donut boxes in her room — fast and convenient food for those standing vigil over a loved one — so he came in on his day off to drop off fruit and other healthy snacks.

Schoenbein and her family want to thank the care team that saved her life, but they also want to encourage other patients to return to their lifesaving care teams and express their gratitude. Listening to the care team talk that day, this “homecoming” event was very meaningful to the staff in attendance. It rekindled the passion they have for their careers and brought them great joy.

Some may say she’s lucky, and in a way, she is. However, there was more than luck at play that day. Each person who assisted Schoenbein and helped save her life had the training, talent, skills, heart and genuine love for people that ensured she walked out of the hospital.

For more information about Pulse Heart Institute and its care teams, visit the Pulse website or call 253-572-7320 (Puget Sound region) or 509-755-5500 (Inland Northwest region).