02/16/2026
What started as a normal day in the fall of 2024 nearly ended in tragedy for 47-year-old Creighton Burnett of Stephensville, LA. He started feeling crushing chest pain and made his way to East Jefferson General Hospital, arriving in critical condition with a "widow maker" heart attack and two of his three main heart arteries blocked.
“I was told, ‘Your husband is critical. It’s his heart. I can’t promise you he will be alive when you get here,’” recalls his wife, Kellie, who raced to the hospital to be by his side.
What happened next was a race against time. The East Jefferson General Hospital team rushed him into the cardiac cath lab, opened both blocked arteries, placed life-saving stents, and stabilized him. Through it all, Kellie says the compassion of nurses like Holly Charles, RN, and the skill of providers like David C. Gentry, CRNA, and interventional cardiologist Cristina Sanina, MD, carried her through the darkest hours.
“People look at me and say, ‘You’re so lucky. But I say, ‘I’m not lucky, I’m blessed,’” Kellie shares.
The Burnett family later nominated Holly for a DAISY Award, an internationally recognized award celebrating nurses who go above and beyond, which she received in August 2025.
Read more about Creighton's story and the cardiac care team who saved his life: https://bit.ly/4c21Rjt.
