Bringing Up Bates star Gil Bates suffered a heart attack just days after his son Warden tied the knot with Kaybrie Bates.
“Once again, the Lord has been so merciful to us!” Gil’s wife, Kelly Jo Bates, shared via Instagram on Wednesday, September 30. “For the past 2 weeks, Gil has felt an unusual feeling in his chest lasting about 30 seconds off & on, and occasionally his jaw would hurt. He wasn’t in pain, but he felt like something wasn’t right.”
Kelly Jo, 59, noted that “busy schedules,” “work” and uncertainty about whether his condition was serious kept Gil, 61, from going to the hospital.
“On Mon night, after finishing a tree job & mowing several yards, he decided to drive to the ER, thinking they’d do some blood work & send him home. Instead, he was quickly whisked into a room & was told he was having a mild heart attack,” the post continued, noting that he later received a cardiac catheterization (a.k.a. a heart cath) to diagnose his blockage.
“The cath procedure took 4 hrs, as they had to do extensive work to the LAD artery (nicknamed the widow maker),” the post added. “He had 80 percent blockage in that artery & a lot of calcium buildup. A regular balloon would not open it, so they used Shockwave (lithotripsy) & then placed a 24 mm stent in it. Next, they put a 48mm stent (the longest stent) in the RCA artery in the back of his heart (where he had the actual heart attack). He had a 95 percent blockage in that artery.”
Kelly Jo shared that there was a “third artery with a 45 to 50 percent blockage that did not require a stent.”
“The doctor said Gil had been a ‘ticking time bomb’ & he was extremely close to having a major heart attack!” the post revealed. “Fortunately, it was corrected in time, and with GOD’S GRACE (and a wonderful team of doctors), we’re living out a MIRACLE & are going home today!”
Kelly Jo shared that Gil will soon be “starting cardiac therapy” and will need “some other diet and medicine changes.”
“His normal activity should be able to resume,” she added. “We’re beyond thankful for the love, care, & many prayers we’ve been showered with from family, friends, & medical staff these past 2 days. We would also covet your prayers, but mostly, we just want to lift our hands in praise to a powerful, wonderful, loving God for extending Gil’s life & letting us have another day to witness His goodness ❤️.”
Gil’s health scare comes days after son Warden, 23, tied the knot with Kaybrie, 20, for the second time following a private ceremony in May.
“Married the love of my life … a second time🤎,” Kaybrie wrote via Instagram on Thursday, September 24. “Today was the fulfillment of [a] dream — and it was every bit as special as I had imagined! From the gorgeous outdoor setting at Howe Farms to my magical custom-designed wedding dress detailed with intricate lace, pearls, and beading … every detail was perfect. Everyone made us feel like this day was just as important as if we were saying our vows for the first time!”
