Cathy Bourque McKenna: Inpatient Rehabilitation

In July 2023, Cathy Bourque McKenna was flying through Las Vegas on her way from St. Louis to Portland to see her sister. When she arrived at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, she learned that her flight to Portland had been canceled and there were no other flights out that day. Fortunately, her brother lives in Las Vegas and she was able to stay with him for the evening. The next day when she was getting ready to leave, she started to not feel well.

“I thought I was having a panic attack and then my chest started hurting and I started to have pain in my arm,” Cathy said. She went to lie down and then told her brother she thought she might be having a heart attack. She was transported to Centennial Hills Hospital in Las Vegas where she had surgery to insert two cardiac stents.

Cathy stayed in ICU at Centennial Hills for about 10 days and was then transferred to Valley Health Specialty Hospital (VHSH) for inpatient rehabilitation. At first she was afraid to leave the comfort of one facility to go to another, but once she arrived at VHSH she said the experience was amazing. “The nurses and staff are so caring. When I arrived, I couldn’t walk and could barely talk. Every doctor and every staff member encouraged me every day. They were just great.”

One day when she was feeling frustrated and ready to give up, one of the nurses told her, “Miss Cathy you’ve got this.” At that point she knew she was going to make it. Cathy spent two weeks at VHSH undergoing hours of intense therapy. At discharge she was able to walk 120 feet with the use of a walker. “I wasn’t supposed to be here, but this amazing hospital brought me back to life.”