Every morning, David Little enjoys a simple routine.
The 62-year-old lifelong Memphian sits with a cup of coffee and watches the birds outside his window. As a father, grandfather and primary caregiver for his 92-year-old mother, David treasures those quiet moments.
But on a frozen January morning, something felt different.
“It wasn’t pain,” David recalls. “It was just a sensation in my chest and my arms.”
The feeling had started the day before and returned again that morning. Because he had never experienced heart problems before, he wasn’t sure what was happening. Still, something told him to call Church Health.
That decision may have saved his life.
David first came to Church Health in 2020 after losing access to health insurance. Friends who supported Church Health told him about the organization and encouraged him to seek care there.
“They told me this place was for people like me who were uninsured,” David says.
Years later, when those unusual symptoms appeared, Church Health was the first place he called. This was during snow and ice and Church Health only opened the urgent care walk-in clinic for three hours that morning.
Within an hour, David was sitting in an exam room.
Church Health staff performed an EKG and additional tests. Then Dr. Finley delivered words that changed everything.
“There were some things going on with my heart,” David remembers. “He told me I needed to get to Methodist University Hospital immediately.”
Church Health called ahead.
When David arrived at the emergency room, a team was already waiting for him.
Doctors quickly determined he was having a heart attack.
Within 30 minutes, David was in the cardiac catheterization lab receiving a stent. Two days later, doctors placed two more stents. He spent six days in the hospital recovering.
Looking back, David realizes how close he came to a very different outcome.
“Dr. Barnhart wanted to hit every single thing that was happening — and that really helped me feel a whole lot better.” — Beverly Word
When Dr. Finley explained what was happening, David’s first thoughts weren’t about himself.
“I said, ‘What about my kids? What about my mom?'”
His mother depended on him. He had no idea what the future would hold.
Dr. Finley’s response became an anchor in one of the most frightening moments of David’s life.
“He said, ‘God’s got you.’ And that carried me then, and it’s still carrying me today.”
Today, David is thriving.
He quit smoking. He changed his eating habits. He pays attention to his health. Most importantly, he is still able to care for the mother who depends on him and enjoy time with his children and grandchildren.
“I’m doing great,” he says. “I’m trying to learn that it’s okay for me to live my life and not be scared.”
David knows that none of this would have been possible without Church Health.
“When I saw Dr. Finley again, I thanked him for saving my life,” he says. “He made the decisions that got the ball rolling for everything that happened afterward.”
Then he pauses.
“I cannot say enough good about Church Health. I’ve had nothing but incredible experiences here.”
For David, Church Health wasn’t just a doctor’s appointment. It was a lifeline.
It was a place where trained professionals recognized the warning signs of a heart attack before it was too late.
It was a place where compassionate caregivers acted quickly.
It was a place made possible by generous donors.
When asked what he would like to say to those who support Church Health, David’s answer was simple and heartfelt:
“Thank you for my life. Thank you for what you do for everyone. Thank you for what you have done for me.”
Because of your generosity, people like David receive life-saving care regardless of their ability to pay.
And because of you, a son can continue caring for his mother, a grandfather can enjoy more mornings watching the birds, and a life that could have been lost is still being lived.
Thank you for making stories like David’s possible.