On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Paul Beard, the current judge of the 18th Circuit Court, Division 5, suffered a mild heart attack which resulted in coronary arterial bypass surgery.
Judge Beard was playing a game of Futsal with family and friends on Tuesday night when near the end of the game he noticed some slight numbness in his arms. The next morning the feeling persisted, so he researched possible causes, one of which was a possible heart attack.
Thinking it wise to rule out that possibility, Beard stopped in at the Bothwell Walk-in Clinic to have an EKG, which is a simple test that in two seconds can determine if the heart is having trouble. The EKG did show some abnormality, so Beard went to the Bothwell Regioanl Health Center emergency room for more testing. Further testing at Bothwell and then at Boone Hospital in Columbia ultimately disclosed that Beard had several severely blocked arteries in his heart which required bypass surgery. The surgery was successful, and Beard was discharged to his home for recovery on June 25.
Beard expressed his gratitude to the staff at Bothwell and Boone Hospitals for the amazing care he received. He thinks it is so important that the community knows about the early warning signs of heart attack and how easy it is to be tested and treated.
He also thanked the amazing members of the 18th Circuit Court, the clerks, judges, and senior judges who have stepped in to take care of the judicial caseload assigned to Division 5 for the citizens of this county. He thanked the family, friends, and community members who make his life so meaningful and rich.
Finally, Beard thanked God for His love, interest and blessings.
