MY NAME IS ANN-MARIE RODERIQUES AND MY HUSBAND DAVID BOURGEIOIS PASSED AWAY ON APRIL 5,2008 FROM AN AORTIC DISSECTION.IT IS A WEEK TODAY THAT HE DIED AND WRITING YOU THIS STORY IS VERY CATHARTIC .I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS THAT HE HAD DIED FROM UNTIL I WAS AT THE FUNERAL HOME AND I SAW THE DEATH CERTIFICATE THAT STATED THAT HIS CAUSE OF DEATH WAS AN AORTIC DISSECTION.

MY HUSBAND WAS EXPERIENCING THE SYMPTOMS OF AN IMPENDING CARDIAC INFARCTION OR MI. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO MY HUSBAND HAD TWO HEART ATTACKS. THE FIRST ONE HE WAS EXPERIENCING SHOULDER PAIN. I HAD GONE TO WORK THE NIGHT OF THE FIRST ATTACK. I WORKED A 3-11 SHIFT AND WHEN I GOT HOME NEITHER HE OR OUR 13 YEAR OLD SON AT THE TIME WERE HOME. I WAS FRANTIC AND I WAS PHONING FRIENDS TO SEE IF MAYBE THEY HAD HEARD FROM HIM. THEN I WENT INTO MY SONS ROOM AND SAW THE NOTE ON THE TV STATING THAT HE COULDN'T BREATHE AND HE TOOK HIMSELF TO THE HOSPITAL.

HE WAS FEELING SHOULDER PAIN THAT AFTERNOON BUT HE TOOK IT AS THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN OVEREXERTION SINCE HE WAS EMPLOYED AS A MANUAL LABORER FOR AN AGENCY. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE HOSPITAL THEY WERE GIVING HIM IV MEDICATIONS AND OXYGEN. THEY HAD EXPLAINED TO ME THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK:SHORTNESS OF BREATH,DIFFICULTY BREATHING,SHOULDER PAIN WHICH I NOW KNOW ARE CLASSIC SYMPTOMS WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. SO THEY STATED THAT THEY HAD TO PERFORM A CARDIAC CATHERIZATION WHERE THEY PLACED 6 STENTS WHICH IS SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL FOR A MAN HIS AGE-43.HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS. HE SUFFERED APOXIA SO HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED TO HIM. HE WAS SCARED AND SINCE HE DIDNT LIKE HOSPITALS OR AUTHORITY HE HAD SIGNED HIMSELF OUT AND LEFT HOSPITAL AMA. I FOUND HIM AT HOME SINCE WE LIVED ONLY A BLOCK AWAY. HE WAS A VERY PROUD AND STUBBORN MAN.

ABOUT A WEEK LATER HE STARED EXPERIENCING CHEST PAIN AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. AND SOME REMORSE THAT HE SHOULDN'T HAVE LEFT SO QUICKLY THE FIRST TIME.ONE OF THE STENTS IN HIS ARTERIES HAD CLOGGED AND THEY PERFORMED ANOTHER CARDIAC CATHERIZATION TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE STENT. HOWEVER THE CARDIOLOGIST HAD STATED THAT THE ARTERY THAT THE STENT WAS INSERTED IN WAS ABOUT 80% BLOCKED SO HE COULDN'T REPLACE THE STENT AND THAT SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE THAT PARTICULAR ARTERY WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THIS STORY. THIS TIME HE STAYED IN HOSPITAL UNTIL THEY TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS READY TO GO HOME. THEN ABOUT ANOTHER 3-4 WEEKS LATER HE WAS AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE AND THE DOCTOR WAS ASKING HIM HOW HE WAS DOING AND RELUCTANTLY HE STATED THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING SOME SHOULDER PAIN SO THEY PERFORMED AN EKG IN DOCTORS OFFICE AND HE WAS EXPERIENCING AN IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT. SO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL FOR ANOTHER FEW DAYS AND WAS DISCHARGED WITH PRESCRIPTIONS IN TOW. THIS TIME HE WAS A MODEL PATIENT.

SO HERE WE ARE ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR DOWN THE ROW. I FORGOT TO MENTION HE WAS ALSO A HEAVY SMOKER. AFTER THE SECOND EVENT DOCTORS HAD ADAMANTLY TOLD MY HUSBAND THAT HE REALLY NEEDED TO QUIT SMOKING. SO HE ATTEMPTED TO QUIT FOR 9 WEEKS WHICH IS THE LONGEST TIME THAT I HAD SEEN HIM GO WITHOUT A CIGARETTE. MY SON AND I WERE SO PROUD OF HIM AND HE WAS ALSO PROUD OF HIMSELF. THEN AFTER A VERY STRESSFUL ENCOUNTER WITH OUR EX-LANDLORD DAVID PICKED UP THAT NASTY HABIT AGAINST MY LOVING PLEADS TO TRY TO STOP WHICH UNFORTUNATELY HE DIDN'T HEED TO.

AT THIS POINT, THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS HAS STATED THAT DAVID SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO GO BACK TO WORK. SO HE DECIDED TO APPLY FOR SSDI AND WHEN THEY TURNED HIM DOWN, HE HIRED AN ATTORNEY. IN THE MEANTIME. THE DOCTORS HAD PRESCRIBED MANY MEDICATIONS FOR HIS HEART. HE ALSO HAD A MODERATE CASE OF EMPHYSEMA SO NOW YOU CAN SEE HIS MEDICAL DILEMMA. HE REALLY WASN'T TAKING CARE OF HIS BODY. SOMETIMES HE WOULD FORGET TO TAKE HIS MEDICATION. I  DON'T THINK THAT IT WAS DELIBERATE. HE WOULD BE ASLEEP WHEN I HAD TO GET UP TO GET READY FOR WORK.

SO NOW IN THE PRESENT, DAVID'S LAST APPOINTMENT WITH CARDIOLOGIST WAS GOOD AND BAD BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. HIS BLOOD PRESSURE WAS AT A GOOD LEVEL HOWEVER HE ENCOURAGED DAVID TO TRY TO QUIT SMOKING. DAVID WAS ALSO TOLD THAT HIS HEART MUSCLE WAS NOT IN GOOD SHAPE AND THAT THE ARTERY THAT WAS PARTIALLY BLOCKED WAS NOT LOOKING TOO GOOD. SO HE WAS VERY CONCERNED AND TOLD DAVID THAT HE WANTED TO SEE HIM IN ABOUT SIX WEEKS. HIS NEXT APPOINTMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN BEGINNING IN MAY. ABOUT A FEW

MONTHS AGO DAVID HAD RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SSDI STATING THAT THEY NEEDED HIS LAWYER TO SEND UPDATED MEDICAL RECORDS WHICH THIS MEANT THAT HIS CASE WOULD SOON BE HEARD BY AN ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE. THIS HAS MADE DAVID VERY HAPPY BECAUSE THEN HE WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE AND HELP ME SUPPORT OUR FAMILY WHICH HE WASN'T ABLE TO DO. AGAIN HE WAS A VERY PROUD MAN. UNFORTUNATELY DAVID WAS UNABLE TO SEE THIS COME TO FRUITION. I WASN'T HOME ON THE DAY THAT HE HAD DIED AT BETH ISRAEL HOSPITAL. OUR HOME IS IN WOONSOCKET RI. SO I HAD TO GO HOME TO RETRIEVE HIS BELONGINGS AND TO PREPARE HIM FOR HIS FUNERAL SERVICES WHEN I ARRIVED HOME THERE WAS A PACKAGE WAITING FOR ME. IT WAS THE PAPERWORK FROM THE COURT STATING THAT HIS CASE WAS SCHEDULED FOR A HEARING ON JULY 23.SO I WILL CONTINUE WITH HIS LEGACY AND I WILL REPRESENT MY HUSBAND TO SEE HIM FULFILL HIS WISHES AND TO SEE THAT HE WILL GET WHAT HE RIGHTFULLY DESERVE. THIS IS MY COMMITMENT TO HIM.

I AM NOW AT THE ENDING OF MY STORY BUT IT IS NOW THE BEGINNING OF DAVID'S EVERLASTING LIFE. SINCE I HAVE FOUND OUT WHAT TOOK MY HUSBAND'S LIFE, I AM NOW EDUCATING MYSELF ON THIS ILLNESS THAT TOOK A VERY PRECIOUS PERSON AWAY FROM HIS ADORING SON AND LOVING WIFE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS ILLNESS AND WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM OTHER FAMILIES THAT IT HAS AFFECTED. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU BRIAN TINSLEY. YOU ARE A VERY COURAGEOUS PERSON AND A SURVIVOR. EVEN THOUGH MY HUSBAND SUCCUMBED TO THIS ILLNESS, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR OTHER STORIES OF SURVIVAL AND STORIES THAT ENDED TRAGICALLY SO THAT I CAN LEARN ON HOW TO GO ON WITH OUR LIVES WITHOUT DAVID.

SO HOPEFULLY YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT MY TELEPHONE NUMBER. I AM NOT SURE IF YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT MY EMAIL ADDRESS.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH

SINCERELY

ANN-MARIE RODERIUES(DAVID BOURGEOIS'S WIFE)

DAVID DALE BOOURGEOIS JR

Contact Telephone: 508-651-1723