From 'widowmaker' to happily ever after

In April 2024, Mike Rounkles and Cassie Montgomery unexpectedly experienced lifesaving interventional cardiac care and a hospital-bedside wedding – all in the same day – thanks to the quick action of the couple, Johnson County MED-ACT (MED-ACT) and the team members of AdventHealth Shawnee Mission’s Cardiac Care Unit (CCU).

“After putting our kids to bed and watching a rerun of Jimmy Fallon's Password, we turned in for the night,” said Montgomery. “Just after midnight, I found myself calling 911 as Mike was experiencing chest pains.”

The couple was looking forward to celebrating their wedding on April 24, but, instead, on the morning of the 24^th, Rounkles was experiencing a heart attack. He was transported by MED-ACT to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission’s Emergency Room and immediately treated by Emergency Medicine Physician Dustin Keffer, DO, and was admitted to the CCU for interventional cardiovascular surgery with Interventional Cardiologist Ammar Habib, MD.

And yet, during this medical emergency, Rounkles was still determined to marry his fiancée that day. They wed in the hospital one hour before he was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the blockage to the anterior descending artery. Team members of the CCU, Dr. Habib, and hospital administration joined the couple to witness the marriage ceremony, facilitated by AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Chaplain Elizabeth Marin Rodriguez.

It takes a village

From the moment Montgomery called 911 to the arrival of MED-ACT to the operating room, Rounkles received the full-circle, life-saving care he needed and was discharged to go home with his new wife.

In recognition of National EMS Week, on May 22, 2025, the couple reunited with the paramedics from MED-ACT who attended to Rounkles that day in a celebration recognizing the dedication of emergency medical services professionals.

“We’re proud to honor a remarkable story of love, resilience and life-saving care,” said Laurie McCormack, executive director of the AdventHealth Kansas City Foundation, who emceed the event. “We’re proud to celebrate Mike and his wife, Cassie, our extraordinary Emergency and Cardiac Care teams, and our invaluable EMS partners at Johnson County MED-ACT who dedicate themselves to protecting our community’s health and safety every single day.”

An imperfectly perfect wedding

Restaurant owners Rounkles and Montgomery always wanted to marry on April 24, having chosen the date in between their birthdays; Rounkles’ being on the 23^rd and Montgomery’s on the 25^th. Montogomery was elated to marry Rounkles on the eve of her turning 40.

“We had planned a low-key celebration for Mike’s birthday knowing that the next day would be our wedding day,” said Montgomery. “We had envisioned a small courthouse wedding with just our parents and our beloved son, Rudy.”

When Rounkles and Montgomery found themselves in the hospital awaiting his life-saving heart surgery instead, the couple pivoted to having a hospital wedding.

In room 588 in the CCU surrounded by family and the care team members, including Dr. Habib, the couple exchanged vows.

“The staff had gone above and beyond, providing flowers, a cake, and even a ‘just married’ sign for our door,” said Montgomery. “[Liz] the chaplain read Corinthians 13, and we received a heartfelt marriage certificate. It was an imperfectly perfect wedding, filled with raw emotion and gratitude.”

From "widowmaker" to happily ever after

As soon as the ceremony ended, Rounkles was wheeled off to surgery with Dr. Habib. Montogomery and their family waited anxiously with their minds racing.

“After what felt like an eternity, we learned that Mike had undergone a more complicated procedure than expected,” said Montgomery. “With four stents placed to address a 95% blockage to his heart."

What Rounkles had suffered was known in the medical world as the widowmaker, a heart attack that occurs when the left anterior descending artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart is completely blocked.

When it comes to any heart attack, quick intervention and treatment is essential. The survival rate following a widowmaker heart attack is only 12% when it occurs outside of a care facility.

Reflecting on the events, the newlyweds realized that everything had happened for a reason. Had they overlooked his symptoms and gone through with their original wedding plans, Rounkles might have suffered a widowmaker before Montgomery could even become his wife.

Instead, MED-ACT and AdventHealth’s Emergency Room and CCU care teams were able to intervene in the right moments. Because of that, the couple got to spend their wedding day together with his health on the mend and their love stronger than ever.

“On my 40th birthday, I woke up in a hospital bed next to my best friend, grateful for the fresh start and the new decade ahead,” said Montgomery. “It wasn't the celebration we had imagined, but it was humbling and filled with hope. Our story was one for the ages, a testament to love, resilience and the unexpected twists of life.”