An Extension of Life: Revere Health Doctor Listened When No One Else Would

St. George resident James Benassi, 61, described himself as a walking “timebomb.” For more than a year he was experiencing severe neck pain and headaches, and he knew something was wrong. The problem was his doctors didn’t seem to agree. He visited his local Emergency Room and hospital, not operated by Revere Health, multiple times but wasn’t getting the help he needed. His concerns were dismissed, and he said he was figuratively “dumped out on the street” despite a blood pressure reading of 205/190.

It wasn’t until he saw Dr. Bryson Hollingshead at Revere Health that everything changed. From the first interaction, he knew things were going to be different.

Instead of trying to presume a diagnosis or override me, he listened to what I was saying,” Benassi said of Dr. Hollingshead. “He was attentive and decisive in ordering the right assessments.

The lab work Hollingshead ordered came back indicating Benassi’s troponin levels were high – a strong indicator of heart damage or heart attack. Hollingshead advised him to return to the ER immediately and use this new information to convey the severity of the situation.

Eventually, an EKG was ordered, and the results were dire. Benassi had 4 clogged arteries, including one that was 95% blocked. The doctors were in awe that he was even able to walk around given this condition. After further testing, Benassi was promptly taken in for open-heart surgery to remove the blockages.

The surgery was successful, and Benassi is now at home recovering and eagerly awaiting the time when he can resume normal activities. He believes that if it were not for Dr. Hollingshead’s intervention, he would not be alive today.

“It was his professional judgement that led to an extension of life,” Benassi said. “I feel he needs to be recognized for what he did and understand I’m forever in his debt. He’s the only one that figured out what needed to be done.”

Benassi’s neck pain is gone now, and his risk of stroke has been greatly reduced. He is no longer that “walking timebomb.”

“I want to thank Dr. Hollingshead and the Revere Health organization for saving my life,” Benassi said. He then added,

What’s more precious than life itself?