Sarge the dog, UK heart care experts save Kentucky man’s life
Sarge the dog began life with Myrl Sizemore’s family as a sweetheart with an adorable face. But the black Labrador retriever eventually grew into a 120-pound “wild man” who left a swath of slobbery destruction in his wake.
His “victims” included any package left by UPS, camping chairs, a patio umbrella and even the seat of Sizemore’s ATV.
But on one frigid January night in 2015, Sarge went from wild man to unlikely hero when Myrl had a heart attack in his front yard. Sarge licked Myrl back to consciousness and dragged him back to the house.
And then a second set of heroes stepped in.
The UK Gill Affiliate Network provides comprehensive cardiology services in multiple locations in Kentucky and West Virginia. Network hospitals in Manchester, Ky., (Myrl’s hometown) and Hazard led Myrl to the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute in Lexington, where sophisticated testing ruled out the need for a costly and dangerous heart transplant. Instead, Myrl had a heart bypass, and was healthy in time to walk his daughter down the aisle that spring.
“So, I think the story of Sarge is so wonderful because clearly Sarge saved Myrl,” said Dr. Vincent Sorrell, the physician from the Gill Heart & Vascular Institute who suspected that Myrl didn’t need a heart transplant. “But Sarge needed our help as well.”
“So, I think together we made a really good team.”
Meet Sarge and watch Myrl’s story below!
