When every second counts: Creighton’s heart attack, healthcare journey at East Jefferson General Hospital

Burnett family honors Holly Charles, RN, with DAISY Award nomination for compassion and support

Creighton Burnett, 47, woke up on November 3, 2024, as if it were any other day. He got dressed, grabbed a cup of coffee, and drove out to check on a customer. Creighton enjoyed the local travel his commercial oilfield diving company required—especially the time he spent near Lake Pontchartrain.

As the early morning hours of November 3 passed, Creighton arrived on the job site to meet up with his crew and customer. However, soon after, he started to feel pain in his chest. He wasn’t feeling well. In fact, he quickly became aware that something was wrong. He asked the crew if they could get him back to land right away. He couldn’t really explain what he was feeling, so he kept it to himself and boarded a work boat to get to land.

A short while later, Creighton had no choice but to admit what was happening. He told his crew he needed to get to a hospital. Kellie recalls his words when they finally spoke: “The pain kept coming and going, and all I could think about was getting to land and getting medical care.”

Once back on shore, Creighton asked for a ride to the nearest hospital. By the time he arrived at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, La., his condition was critical.

A race against time at East Jefferson General Hospital

Once at the hospital, the cardiac team rushed Creighton to the cardiac catheterization lab. They discovered he had two of his three main heart arteries blocked—the beginning of what Kellie later learned is known as a “widow maker” heart attack.

The term “widow maker” is used because a blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery prevents the heart from receiving the blood it needs to sustain life. In Creighton’s case, both the LAD and the left circumflex arteries were blocked, a combination that could have led to acute heart failure or sudden death if not treated immediately.

By the time Creighton got to the hospital, far too much time had passed for Kellie to be optimistic. As she listened to Holly Charles, RN, on the phone, she heard the woman urging her to get to the hospital. ‘Your husband is critical. It’s his heart. I can’t promise you he will be alive when you get here.’” Those are the words that were seared into Kellie’s brain.

“I remember hearing ‘STEMI ALERT’ over the intercom and immediately left my assigned area to help,” Holly recalled. “He was wheeled into the trauma room, and I was the first one there. It was clear he was critical. We started our STEMI protocol right away, but the hardest part was getting his pain under control. We gave him all we could, but I knew what he really needed was to get to the Cath Lab as fast as possible.”

Kellie’s drive from Stephensville, La., to Metairie felt endless. “I was in shock. The kids were asking questions that I hadn’t thought to ask. I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t even know where I was going,” Kellie said. “But Holly answered my questions and answered with a caring voice every time I called her back. She stayed on the phone with me. She was so professional, so caring. She really went above and beyond and got to Creighton’s bedside so I could see him on FaceTime in case I got there too late. We prayed together on that call while Holly held the phone the entire time.”

“Creighton was in so much pain and was starting to fade,” Holly said. “I looked him in the eyes and told him he needed to tell his wife goodbye because she might not see him again until after his procedure. He gathered all the strength he had left to say goodbye. It broke me—I had to step out of the room for a moment to gather myself.”

For her extraordinary care and compassion, Holly was nominated by the Burnett family for a DAISY Award, an internationally recognized honor for nurses who go above and beyond in showing kindness and support to patients and their families. Holly received the award in August 2025, a testament to the impact she had during of the Burnetts’ darkest moments.

“I will forever remember this family and the impact they had on my life that day,” said Holly. “I’m so honored that they feel the same way about me. As an ER nurse, you rarely get recognized for the intense work you do. Most patients are too critical to even remember your name—much less the efforts you made to keep them alive. This recognition means the world to me and gives me the strength to keep going.”

Relying on faith, being supported by real-life ‘angels’

When Kellie arrived at East Jefferson General Hospital, she immediately felt supported. “Holly came over and asked if she could sit with me. She came to me like an angel. She told me she was praying for me. Holly told me, ‘I have never felt the presence of God as I did when you were praying with him over the phone and we were working on your husband.”

“I told Kellie that God was there in that room with her husband—that it was a miracle he even made it to the hospital in the condition he was in,” Holly added. “God was orchestrating every movement that morning.”

Kellie also remembers the kindness of David C. Gentry, CRNA, who explained what was happening and reassured her when Creighton was intubated. Cristina Sanina, MD, interventional cardiologist, opened two arteries and placed life-saving stents that restored blood flow to Creighton’s heart. “I needed to work very fast to stop him from crashing,” said Dr. Sanina. “After the procedure, I told Mr. Burnett’s wife, Kellie, that he is very lucky and he will be alright.”

Even during the most frightening moments, Kellie says she felt carried by both faith and the team at East Jefferson General Hospital. “Every staff member, every doctor, every nurse, I can’t say enough good things. They were just remarkable.”

Recovery and gratitude to have a bright future ahead

Creighton was discharged on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. “I remember the day exactly. It was Election Day as Creighton insisted on going to vote before heading home,” Kellie said.

In the next month, in addition to outpatient rehab to get stronger, Creighton changed his diet and regularly exercised with a trainer. He got himself back to living life.

Today, Kellie reflects on how close she came to losing her husband. “People look at me and say, ‘You’re so lucky!’ But I say, ‘I’m not lucky, I’m blessed.’ I know what could have been. But it wasn’t meant to be. Our faith and the medical team at East Jefferson General Hospital brought us through.”

To learn more about cardiac catheterization and the heart and vascular care program at East Jefferson General Hospital, visit: https://www.lcmchealth.org/east-jefferson-general-hospital/our-locations/east-jefferson-general-hospital-heart-and-vascul/