Through sickness and in health: One local couples journey to heart health

When many of us stand up in front of our family and friends on our wedding day we vow to love our spouse through sickness and in health. Deep down we all pray we never have to go through the sickness portion of that phrase, let alone at the same time as our spouse. This, unfortunately, turned out to be the case for local couple Maria and Mike McKnight.

The McKnights’ story begins with Mike McKnight developing a facial tick and droop to his face. Mike ignored his wife Maria’s advice for several months before finally seeking medical attention. With a previous diagnosis of hypertension and the symptoms above, the doctor wanted to send Mike to the hospital immediately. Mike convinced the doctor to run more tests before sending him to the hospital. After meeting with a neurologist and a diabetic specialist to rule out other causes, Mike was sent to Avera Heart Clinic for additional testing.