CASPER, Wyo. (Feb. 13, 2026) – When Ken Woolsey walks down the aisle this Valentine's Day, it will be more than just a celebration of love—it will be a testament to the power of determination, expert medical care and a heart that refuses to quit.
On Feb. 4, the 61-year-old Glenrock resident underwent quadruple bypass surgery at Banner Wyoming Medical Center after suffering a heart attack while at work. Now, against all conventional wisdom, Woolsey is preparing to say "I do" to his fiancé, Lonna Heath Porter, on Valentine’s Day.
Joseph Monfre, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Banner Health, said that recovery typically takes a couple of months, but admits that he can't remember ever having a patient that had their wedding looming just days away.
"Open heart surgery is a big deal, and it's an even bigger deal when you have a wedding," Dr. Monfre said. "We all had in the back of our heads that this Valentine's Day wedding was looming."
Woolsey admits that everyone thinks he’s crazy.
"All my friends say I need to rest,” Woolsey said. “But this has been planned, and I just want to marry her."
Friday, Jan. 30, started like any other work day for Woolsey, who makes concrete forms—a dirty, physically demanding job. While in the middle of pouring concrete, he began experiencing throbs in his left arm and chest.
"I'd never had any heart trouble before," Woolsey said. "Then the pain went straight to my heart. I wasn't sure what was happening, so I got changed and my boss took me to the emergency room."
At the ER, doctors quickly determined Woolsey was having a heart attack. What he hoped would be a minor issue turned into a life-changing diagnosis: he needed open-heart surgery.
Dr. Monfre and Gary Idelchik, MD, a cardiologist, performed the quadruple bypass surgery a few days later, giving Woolsey a new lease on life.
Drs. Monfre and Idelchik said that the heart team at Banner Wyoming Medical Center takes a patient-specific team approach to treating hearts because everyone is different. "We have a shared goal of restoring blood flow," said Dr. Monfre.
"I told them, 'Do whatever is going to last the longest,'" Woolsey said.
The surgical team's expertise and swift action not only saved Woolsey's life but gave him the chance to keep one of the most important dates of his life.
When Lonna offered to postpone the wedding, he wouldn't hear of it.
"She said we could postpone, but I said I don't want to," Woolsey said. "We sent out the invites. This has been planned, and nothing—not even heart surgery—is going to stop us."
When asked how it makes him feel that they were able to get Woolsey to his wedding on time, Dr. Idelchik said, "This is why we do what we do."
Dr. Idelchik also reminds people that you can have good baseline health and still have cardiac disease. If something feels different, don’t chalk it up to old age -- get checked out.
The Valentine's Day wedding at the Glenrock Senior Center will be a celebration not just of the couple's love, but of Woolsey's continued recovery and the life-saving care he received at Banner Wyoming Medical Center.
"I'm getting my life back together," Woolsey said. "And marrying her is the best way to start."
About Banner Wyoming Medical Center
Banner Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyo., is part of Banner Health and is Wyoming's largest hospital with 249 beds on two campuses. It is one of Wyoming's most comprehensive hospitals and offers a range of inpatient and outpatient services including emergency services, Level II trauma care, heart care, women and infant services, neurological care and more. It is Casper's only full-service, non-profit hospital. Banner Health is one of the largest secular nonprofit health care systems in the country. Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health has locations in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/wymc.
Woolsey1-4: Ken Woolsey and his fiance, Lonna, are getting married on Valentine’s Day, just 10 days after Ken’s open heart surgery at Banner Wyoming Medical Center.
Idelchik-Woolsey-Monfre: Dr. Gary Idelchik (left), a cardiologist, and Dr. Joseph Monfre (right), a cardiothoracic surgeon, stand with patient Ken Woolsey at Banner Wyoming Medical Center. The heart team performed Woolsey's life-saving quadruple bypass surgery on Feb. 4, just 10 days before his Valentine's Day wedding.
Woolsey-BestMan: Ken Woolsey (right) poses with his best man, Ike Kohm, at Banner Wyoming Medical Center before heading out to pick up their tuxedos for Woolsey's Valentine's Day wedding. Kohm, who is also Woolsey's boss, drove him to the emergency room when he was having a heart attack on Jan. 30.
WYMC-heart-team: The Banner Wyoming Medical Center heart team performed Ken Woolsey’s life-saving surgery last week.
Front left: Jenny Swanson, PA-C, cardiothoracic surgery physician assistant; Brittany Murphy, RN, cardiovascular operating room coordinator; Jillian Sporrer, RN; Juliene Farris, RN
Back left: Dustin Roberts, MD, anesthesiologist; Justin Beer, perfusionist; Arthur Austin, surgical first assistant; Joseph Monfre, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon
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