How “Doogie” Saved His Pal from a Lurking “Widowmaker”

Kirk Antekeier, 66, worked 40 years as a sales manager at a beverage company in Holland. A friendly person, Kirk liked getting to know the staff, even the temporary employees, hired in the summers.

30 years ago, young Dirk Bonnema was a temporary employee in the warehouse.

“When I met Dirk, I asked what he wanted to do for a career,” said Kirk. “He said he planned to become a physician. That’s when I started calling him Doogie from the TV show Doogie Howser. Then everyone at work called him Doogie. He was a good, smart kid. I knew he would do well, but I didn’t know our paths would end up crossing many years later.”

Fast forward to 2013, when Kirk and his wife were riding through their neighborhood on their bicycles. “I saw a couple with three children, and I thought, That looks like Doogie,” said Kirk. “But the last I knew, Dr. Dirk Bonnema was a heart specialist in South Carolina.”

Kirk called out, “Doogie, do you live around here?” And the man replied, “Yes, I moved back!”

Remarkably, Kirk and Dr. Bonnema lived a few blocks from each other.

“We began working together 30 years ago, and we became friends,” said Dr. Bonnema. “Only Kirk calls me Doogie. We have brushed shoulders for the last 10 years. He has even been a referee for my children’s basketball.”

On Their Way to the Links

Both men are golfers, so last summer Kirk invited Dr. Bonnema to play a round of golf in Holland. Dr. Bonnema was available on June 9. As they rode together to the golf course, Kirk shared a lurking concern he hadn’t shared with his wife.

He said, “You know, I work out four days a week and I come home and then I walk with my wife. I’m trying to get in better shape, and I’ve been doing this for a long time, but it keeps getting worse.”

When Dirk asked what was getting worse, Kirk replied, “I get this pain in the middle of my chest when I exert myself.” Dirk asked how long this had been going on. Kirk answered, “About a year and a half.”

Quick Action

Without hesitation, Dirk responded, “I want to see you in my office on Monday morning.”

Kirk and his wife showed up at Dr. Bonnema’s office that Monday.

“After assessing Kirk’s risk factors and symptoms, the pre-test probability for a blockage in the arteries in the heart was considered high,” said Dr. Bonnema. “The gold-standard test is a heart catheterization or coronary angiogram,” which was performed on Kirk the following Thursday.”

“So, I’m at the hospital and have the test on Thursday,” said Kirk. “I wake up, and my wife is sitting there with a long face and Dirk is sitting there with a concerned face.”

That’s when Kirk got the news that he had three blockages — one of which qualified as a widowmaker — and he needed open heart bypass surgery.

Kirk remained in the hospital until Monday morning, June 19, when Thoracic Surgeon Theodore Boeve, MD, performed triple bypass open heart surgery on him at Trinity Health Muskegon.

Kirk’s prognosis is excellent, thanks to the quick, expert care he received.

The Best Care from the Best Team

“I think God intervened,” said Kirk. “What are the odds that Dirk and I would run into each other again? He saved my life. Luckily, I didn’t have a heart attack, so I don’t have any heart damage, bt the surgery extended my life.”

Kirk praises his care. “Dirk is a phenomenal doctor. I’m blessed with his friendship. He is so caring, and so many people rave about him. He spent so much time with my family. And Dr. Boeve is brilliant. He is calming and confident. He’s also a good listener and answered all my questions. I was blessed to have both of them.

“And I can’t say enough about the hospital in Muskegon,” he shared. “I was amazed by the comfort and care I received. The nurses on the fifth and sixth floors — wonderful.”

Dr. Bonnema concurs. “We have a remarkable team in Muskegon. It’s the team members who made his appointments, the staff who brought and prepared meals and who cleaned the floors, and the nursing team who prepared Kirk for surgery and cared for him following surgery — they are critical to patient success. Dr. Boeve and I rely on this collaborative effort to improve lives in Muskegon. It is the total team that contributes to this type of outcome.”

Recovery

With the help of his wife, Kirk made lifestyle changes for the better. Now they are both following a new diet. Through the couple’s efforts, Kirk has lost 30 pounds. “The foods we typically ate were not designed for long-term health,” shared Kirk. “In the end, it’s about making healthier choices.”

Another significant contributor to Kirk’s recovery was the 36 visits to Trinity Health Muskegon Cardiac Rehab. “The rehab people were top-notch,” said Kirk.

Kirk has returned to work (in his second career) as a realtor. He looks forward to his daily walks with his wife and spending time on the court refereeing high school basketball.

Take-Aways

From Dr. Bonnema

“If you recognize a change in your tolerance to exercise, or have difficulty breathing or chest pain, those would be reasons to contact your primary care provider. And if you have heart disease, your specialist will ask you to follow these four vital keys to managing it:

1. Address any concerns or symptoms with your specialist so problems with your heart’s structure can be addressed by appropriate procedures to improve heart function.
2. Take your medications to help the heart perform well.
3. Follow a heart-healthy diet.
4. Maintain an appropriate exercise schedule.”

From Kirk

A faith-filled man, Kirk credits God with the timing of meeting his friend Dirk and the remarkable recovery he has made with the help of Trinity Health Muskegon.

This life-changing event has left a lasting impression on him. Kirk now looks back on his denial of his symptoms and realizes that events could have played out entirely differently. He offers advice to others who have symptoms they are ignoring.

“I learned that heart disease is the number one killer in America. I thought it was cancer. An experience like this humbles you. It makes you think about what’s important. If you are having symptoms of illness, and if you love your family, get yourself checked out.”

Wise words from a man who survived a widowmaker.

To learn more about the cardiovascular services at Trinity Health Michigan, visit TrinityHealthMichigan.org/cardio.

Trinity Health is a member of the Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan.