Keith Hooper was the picture of health: a long-distance runner, running coach and beloved Spanish teacher. But on what began as an ordinary school day earlier this year, his heart gave out — right in the middle of class.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
He glanced at his watch. It was 12:08 p.m. on Jan. 15. He was teaching fourth-period honors Spanish at River Ridge High School in Woodstock when something felt wrong.
“My heart felt like it was spinning. I was nauseous,” said Hooper, 59. “My students later told me I looked as white as the walls.”
Hooper didn’t panic. He emailed the school nurse, asking her to send a wheelchair to his classroom.
Minutes later, he was being wheeled out of class and into the school clinic. Shocked colleagues and friends rushed to his side, showing concern and offering prayers. All the while, they wondered: How could this be happening to Hooper, arguably the healthiest man on campus?
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Paramedics soon confirmed he was having a heart attack. They rushed him to Northside Hospital Cherokee in Canton.
“I remember looking out the ambulance window, trying to figure out where we were,” he said. “Then the EMT said, ‘Things are going to move fast. Are you prepared?’ I told him, ‘Bring it on.’”
From classroom to operating room
What followed was a blur: His shirt pulled off, his chest shaved, someone slipping off his watch. Harsh lights. The chill of the operating room. The struggle to breathe.
Hooper would have died, but emergency quadruple bypass surgery saved him. His postsurgery pain was unlike any he had ever felt.
“I tore my Achilles, that was painful. Kidney stones, that was painful, but not like after open-heart surgery,“ Hooper said. “There were moments in the ICU when I thought, ‘Do I even want to be here?’ But then I’d think of my wife. I didn’t want to leave her.”
Maria, his wife of 35 years, is a substitute teacher at River Ridge. The Hooper family is deeply rooted in the school: One of their daughters is a former student, the other a former teacher. Hooper himself has taught and coached both track and cross country at the school for 12 years.
“River Ridge is family,” he said.
That family showed up for him. During his recovery, students delivered handmade cards — one stood 3 feet tall and was crammed with handwritten messages. “If I was having a bad day, all I did was get those cards out and read them,” he said. “It was nice to know you were loved.”
Teachers and former students stopped by his home.
“Some of the students I hadn’t seen in seven or eight years,” Hooper said. “I never truly realized the impact I’d had as a teacher until this happened.”
Cardiac rehab: A new kind of coaching
Hooper returned to school in late February — not fully himself, but determined.
In January, surgeons had found some severely blocked arteries,” said Eric Nelson, a cardiologist at Northside Hospital.
“He was close to death,” the doctor said.
For nine weeks, Hooper attended Northside’s Cardiac Rehab Clinic in Canton. There, he was monitored, guided and, most of all, encouraged.
“It became my oasis. I actually looked forward to going,” Hooper said. “The staff was incredible — knowledgeable, kind and positive.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Northside Hospital Cherokee
Credit: Photo courtesy of Northside Hospital Cherokee
Progress came slowly but steadily: walking a mile in 22 minutes, finishing a 5K on a treadmill and eventually running a full mile without stopping during cross-country practice last month.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Northside Hospital Cherokee
Credit: Photo courtesy of Northside Hospital Cherokee
He also made major lifestyle changes. He gave up brewing — and tasting — his own beer. He became more meticulous about reading food labels and cutting out anything packed with sodium, including collard greens and fast-food biscuits.
“Keith really took cardiac rehab to heart,” Nelson said, “Not everyone does.”
The coach’s comeback is not quite complete, his doctor said.
“His heart function had been significantly reduced,” he said. “But every time we check, it’s getting a little better and better.”
Return to the classroom — and the track
On Feb. 28, Hooper returned to work full time. That fourth period of his is now dubbed “the cardiac class” in memory of that unforgettable day.
These days, normalcy for Hooper is mowing the grass, chopping firewood, standing for four hours at a track meet and being able to pick up his dogs, Canela and Solna.
“That was a big moment,” he said.
By this summer, Hooper had completed the first half-marathon since his heart attack. It was slower than his usual pace, but deeply meaningful.
Through it all, he has gained a new perspective — one he now shares with his students, especially if they’ve received a bad grade or are having a bad day.
“I tell them: It’s not the end of the world,” he said. “They need to know I care about them.”
A heart rebuilt — and reopened
Today, Hooper says he’s more focused on connection than ever — in the classroom, on the track and in life.
“I really feel like I’m a different person,” he said. “Not that I wasn’t positive before, but this opened my eyes. I’m more focused on it now because you see the impact.”
He credits the team at Northside’s Cardiac Rehab Clinic with giving him back more than his health.
“They gave me hope,” Hooper said. “I’d go back just to thank them — but I don’t want to be a patient again.”
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