From On Air to Open Heart: Radio Host Mike Nelson's Life-Saving Journey at UK King's Daughters
Mike Nelson is no stranger to early mornings and packed days. As the morning drive host and program director for WGOH/WUGO Radio in Grayson, and an active member of the Grayson Area Chamber of Commerce, he’s used to keeping a fast pace. But earlier this year, his go-go-go lifestyle came to an abrupt halt.
“I developed this wheeze that showed up whenever I laid down to sleep,” Nelson said. “It was keeping me up at night. My wife and I thought it might be pneumonia.”
Then one morning, while delivering the news on air, Nelson found himself short of breath, struggling just to finish a sentence. Alarmed, he called his wife. They decided he should talk with his family physician during an upcoming checkup.
That checkup turned urgent the moment he walked through the door.
“The nurse came in to take my blood pressure, but she didn’t even put the cuff on,” Nelson recalled. “She just looked at me and said, ‘You need to get to the Emergency Department right now. You are very sick.’”
He took her advice but drove himself. “As I was walking up to the Emergency Department, things started going black,” he said. “An angel of a nurse got a wheelchair and got me inside. They told me later I was about 30 seconds from disaster.”
Initially thinking he had pneumonia, Nelson was stunned to learn the real problem was his heart. Cardiologist Roger Klein, M.D., saw him in the Emergency Department, someone who had also cared for Nelson’s grandmother years ago. That connection brought reassurance.
Dr. Klein recommended a cardiac catheterization, a minimally invasive procedure used to diagnose and sometimes treat narrowing and blockages in the heart arteries. Interventional cardiologist Sri Velury, M.D., performed the procedure, which revealed several areas of concern. The problems were too severe to fix in the cath lab.
Open-heart surgery would be necessary.
Nelson was referred to cardiothoracic surgeon Ayodele Osasona, M.D., at UK King’s Daughters.
“Dr. O reminded me of a coach,” Nelson said. “He looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’m going to do this, and you’re going to do this. You’re young, and we’ve got a good game plan.’”
In early April, Nelson underwent a triple bypass. Just days later, he was back home to begin his recovery.
Today, he’s back on his feet, and back in the studio. He’s also participating in UK King’s Daughters’ Cardiac Rehabilitation program.
“I had never exercised before. I thought I was going to hate it,” he said with a chuckle. “But I actually enjoy it. I feel like I’ve accomplished something every time I leave.”
Through the scare, surgery, and recovery, Nelson is filled with gratitude — for the care he received, the support of his family and community, and the gift of a second chance.
“I’ve got a new outlook now,” he said. “It’s a sound plan, and I’m sticking to it.”