Man with NASCAR ties put off facing signs of trouble in his own bodys engine

A man wearing a ball cap that says Darlington 75th looks at the camera. He's wearing a grayish shirt. There is a woman next to him who is looking at him and smiling. She has dark hair pulled back, gold earrings.

Lee Rollins is recovering from a heart attack. "I realize now that maybe I wasn’t that tough. I was just that stubborn when I should have been going to the doctor," he says. Photos by John Russell

Through his work in engineering and public relations with Mack Trucks, the official hauler of NASCAR, Lee Rollins was thrilled to meet driving legends like Jeff Gordon and Buck Baker.

Thrilled, but humble. “I was never a key player. I was always in the footlights – never the spotlight. But I’ve certainly been in the middle of some cool stuff,” Rollins said.

But when it came to signs of trouble in his own body’s engine, his heart, the Bishopville man was slower to act. “I’d been treating my indigestion, as I thought I had, for a couple of weeks. It got to the point that I was uncomfortable. I had no energy,” Rollins said.

Rollins, who now works for O’Reilly Auto Parts, was doing something unusual to try to ease that exhaustion. “I would go outside at lunch, actually, and put on the air conditioning in my Jeep or my car and take a nap at lunch. Everyone at work noticed that I slowed down. They said, ‘What is wrong? Is your age catching up to you, or are you just not as energetic?’ I knew something was wrong.”

He’d also felt pressure in his chest on a Wednesday. “Thursday morning, when my feet hit the floor, I had an immediate sense of discomfort and just a feeling of foreboding.”

Rollins still planned to drive to work. But on the way, he knew work would have to wait. “I was having trouble focusing. I didn’t have a lot of strength in my arms. I broke out in a sweat and really had a sense of pressure in my chest.”

He headed to the emergency room at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville. There, he met Abdallah Kamouh, M.D., an MUSC Health cardiologist from Florence who also sees patients at Carolina Pines.

“Dr. Kamouh came in and introduced himself to me. And my enzyme levels were steadily climbing. And he said, ‘Mr. Rollins, you’ve had, and are continuing to have, a heart attack.’”

Rollins was transferred for surgery to MUSC Health in nearby Florence, which has a cardiology center. Iva Smolens, M.D., performed bypass surgery to clear blockages in his arteries. “His heart attack was pretty significant,” she said.

Rollins is grateful for the care he received. “I never, ever hurt. Everything they did, they took the time to explain. I fell in love with everybody on Floor 2 in the ICU,” he said, referring to the intensive care unit at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center.

“They’re my angels, every one of them. They knew I was scared. They went out of their way just to take such excellent care. I hated to go home to the real world.”

The care team appreciated him as well. “He was the ideal patient,” Smolens said.

Dr. Smolens, smiling wearing a lab coat inside a hospital room with a hospital bed

Dr. Iva Smolens says anyone who has symptoms of a heart attack should call 911. The faster you get help, the better.

“He was just one of these great patients because he was very positive and upbeat. And I can’t tell you how much that really factors into how a patient recovers. If they’re kind of ho-hum and they’re like, whatever happens, happens, they don’t do really well. Whereas if they have family support, which he did, they’re motivated to get better.”

She wanted to remind people to be aware of the symptoms of a heart attack, which
include, according to the American Heart Association:

-Chest discomfort.
-Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.
-Shortness of breath.
-Breaking out in a cold sweat.
-Nausea.
-Irregular heartbeat.
-Feeling tired and/or lightheaded.

Women may have other symptoms as well, including:

-Anxiety.
-Shortness of breath.
-Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting.
-Pain in the shoulder, back or arm.

Smolens said anyone who has symptoms of a heart attack should call 911 immediately. The faster you get help, the better. “You want to go to a designated cardiac center.”

Rollins is glad he wound up at one in Florence – and wishes he’d taken action earlier. “I realize now that maybe I wasn’t that tough. I was just that stubborn when I should have been going to the doctor,” he said.

He’s back at not only O’Reilly Auto Parts but also the Darlington Raceway, where he and his wife stay busy. “I do a little bit of everything for Darlington. She runs a museum, gift shop, hall of fame and does all the merchandise. So she’s full time. I’m on staff. I love it.”

He also plans to keep taking medication for his heart, eating healthy food and staying as active as he can. “I’ve got a sense of my own mortality now. I know that there’s a finite number of days we’re given, and I want to get as many as I can. Thanks to the good Lord and the people at MUSC, I’m here.”