Morristown First Lady Mary Dougherty said she’s never been so terrified.
Fortunately, severe chest pains on Thursday turned out to be nothing more that, she said. Morristown Medical Center sent her home after a long day of tests with a clean bill of health and a sense of gratitude.
“Thank God we’ve got a place like that to go to,” Mary said. “I’ve never been that frightened. Things can happen so fast. To be able to go right down the street to such a phenomenal hospital is a comfort.”
Mary had reported to work, at a corporate relocation company in Morristown, around 8:30 am when she thought she was having a heart attack.
She went down the hall to the offices of Morris Arts, where Anne Dodd was at her desk.
Anne rushed her to the hospital and stayed with Mary until her husband, Mayor Tim Dougherty, arrived.
A barrage of tests found no problems, Mary said.
Morristown’s Democratic chairwoman had spent a busy New Year’s Day at her husband’s swearing-in and subsequent reception, marking the start of his second term.
Next week, on Jan. 9, 2014, Mary is scheduled to preside over the inaugural meeting of Morristown Women in Business, a group she co-founded.
Her hospital visit came on a day when the facility’s parent organization, the Atlantic Health System, announced a merger with Chilton Hospital in Pompton Plains.
Atlantic Health and Morristown Medical Center have scored high in a variety of rankings, and Morristown’s First Lady concurred with the surveys.
“The staff at Morristown Memorial was unbelievable,” she said. “Everyone that touched me or came near me was unbelievably professional.”
