A Valentine's Day Emergency Turns into a Full Circle Story of Gratitude

Thanks to the quick action and expertise of Baystate's Heart and Vascular team, Abby Labonte survived a massive heart attack, received a new heart, and came back to say thank you

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As Valentine's Day approached in 2025, Abigael "Abby" LaBonte, of Easthampton, Mass., added a small heart to her usual manicure, as a cheerful way to celebrate the holiday. At this point, she had no idea how meaningful that little heart would soon be.

On February 14, Abby was not feeling well and had been telling her family about it throughout the day. She had tested positive for the flu, so she thought she just needed some rest and went to bed early.

"I went to bed and then got up around 11 p.m., told my husband I wasn't feeling good again, and he said, 'That's it, we're taking you to the emergency room,'" Abby recalled. Her husband, Joe LaBonte, called his mother to come stay with their two boys, Jake, 12, and Nate, 10, and started driving Abby to the hospital.

Before they got far, Abby suddenly collapsed. Her husband quickly called 911. A police officer arrived within minutes and started lifesaving measures. Soon after, an ambulance rushed Abby to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

At the hospital, the Heart and Vascular team found that at just 41 years old, Abby was having a massive heart attack.

Teamwork and Quick Thinking

"I came in to my shift at 7 a.m., and the chaos had already started," said Jonathan Hurley, one of the nurses who worked on Abby that day. "It was very hectic. We had to get all the medications up and running. She was declining fast, so we got the surgeons and perfusionist involved to do bedside interventions that take a lot of skill and coordination. From that point forward, our only goal was to get her stable enough to go to Boston."

The team's quick actions kept Abby alive. She was put on ECMO, a type of life support that keeps blood moving and oxygenated when the heart cannot. They planned to fly her by helicopter to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for a heart transplant evaluation.

But the weather did not cooperate. Wind and ice made it impossible to fly, so Abby went by ambulance to Boston instead, accompanied by Joshua Williammee, the perfusionist who managed the ECMO machine that kept her heart working. During the 90-mile drive in a winter storm, Joshua worked with the machine, and Abby survived seven additional heart attacks. He said it was one of the most stressful rides of his life, and he made the journey back to Springfield not knowing what the outcome would be for Abby. Little did he know that months later, he would not only find out, but also have the opportunity to meet Abby and her family.

"I'm glad we had the opportunity here at Baystate to help her out," Joshua said. "It literally has never happened where we get to see someone we transported away. It's kind of emotional."

After Abby arrived in Boston, her long road to recovery began. By the end of March, she learned she needed a heart transplant, and she received one in April.

A Full-Circle Moment

By October, Abby had made major strides in her recovery, and her new heart was filled with gratitude for the people who kept her going so that she could receive it. She and her family decided it was time to return to Baystate Medical Center to visit the cardiac team, and through a member of that team, she was arranged to do so.

It was an emotional reunion with the team that saved her life. It was the first time she met the surgeons, nurses, and perfusionists she had heard about but never seen.

"Just meeting people I have never met before, people who literally kept me alive until I got to Boston, I will never forget this day," Abby said. "As they were introducing me, I was like, 'Oh, that's what you did! I heard about that, that's who you are.' It was so cool to meet that side."

For the Baystate team, the experience was just as powerful and an inspiring reminder of how impactful and rewarding their work is.

"It's absolutely incredible," John said. "We never really get this full circle, but it's really nice to see how well she's doing, and that all the hard work we put in has progressed to what she's doing now. It really confirms why I came into this profession."

Joshua agreed. "When I went on this career path, this was the job I wanted: to help people. Usually, we see results by the end of a surgery, but for ECMO patients, especially when they get transferred for transplants, we rarely see the outcome. So it was nice to see the fruits of our labor."

The Road to Recovery

Today—months after her heart transplant—Abby is back home in Easthampton and continuing her recovery. She goes to physical and occupational therapy several times a week at the same rehab center where she used to work before her heart attack. "With the help of the therapists, I'm regaining my strength," she said.

Her family has been her anchor. Her husband and sons have stepped up in new ways. "They've been doing things like laundry and emptying the dishwasher," Abby said with a smile. "It might seem like little things, but they turned out to be big things."

Her parents have also been by her side every step of the way. "My mom made sure I was never alone, and I can never thank her enough," Abby said.

Her son Jake shared a message for the team that saved his mom's life: "I will never forget this. Thank you so much."

Taking Their Work to Heart

From that frightening Valentine's Day to her joyful reunion in the fall, Abby's story is about courage, family, and the life-saving power of teamwork and skill.

"I am so thankful to be here today, to tell people my story, and tell people hospitals are miracles," Abby said. "From the beginning, I told my parents, 'I want to thank Baystate. I want to go there and say thank you for keeping me stable and getting me where I needed to be — to get where I am now.' "

As Abby reflected on her experience, she said, "It didn't really dawn on me that nurses and doctors have lots of feelings. I thought they were like, 'Next patient. Bring in the next patient.' But they really take things to heart, and that means a lot to me."

Abby's visit was a moment of connection that reminded Abby and her family how grateful they are for her health and highlighted to her care team how much their work matters.

As John summed it up: "We don't always get to meet the people we fight for. But when we do, it's a reminder that every second, every skill, every effort matters."

Baystate Health, together with its health plan, Health New England, is a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare system and the largest in western Massachusetts. Serving more than 800,000 people across western New England, Baystate includes an academic medical center, children's hospital, three community hospitals, outpatient practices, home health and hospice services, and a regional health plan. Health New England provides coverage to more than 160,000 members through commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid (MassHealth) plans. United by a mission to improve the health of the people in our communities every day, Baystate Health and Health New England deliver high-quality, compassionate care with a focus on quality, safety, value, and experience. For more information, visit healthnewengland.org.

SOURCE Baystate Health System