‘Bringing Up Bates’ Star Hospitalized With Heart Attack

Bringing Up Bates star Gill Bates is on the road to recovery after suffering a heart attack earlier this week.

In an Instagram post, Gill’s wife, Kelly Jo, confirmed the TV personality experienced the medical emergency and shared details.

“Once again, the Lord has been so merciful to us!” Kelly Jo shared. “For the past 2 weeks, Gil has felt an unusual feeling in his chest lasting about 30 seconds off & on, and occasionally his jaw would hurt. He wasn’t in pain, but he felt like something wasn’t right.”

Kelly Jo cited “busy schedules” and “work” as the reasons why Gill didn’t see a doctor about his symptoms.

“On Mon night, after finishing a tree job & mowing several yards, he decided to drive to the ER, thinking they’d do some blood work & send him home. Instead, he was quickly whisked into a room & was told he was having a mild heart attack,” she continued.

Kelly Jo pointed out that doctors used a cardiac catheterization to diagnose Gill’s blockage.

“The cath procedure took 4 hrs, as they had to do extensive work to the LAD artery (nicknamed the widow maker),” she explained. “He had 80 percent blockage in that artery & a lot of calcium buildup. A regular balloon would not open it, so they used Shockwave (lithotripsy) & then placed a 24 mm stent in it. Next, they put a 48mm stent (the longest stent) in the RCA artery in the back of his heart (where he had the actual heart attack). He had a 95 percent blockage in that artery.”

Kelly Jo also noted a third artery with a 45 to 50 percent blockage, but it did not require a stent.

“The doctor said Gil had been a ‘ticking time bomb’ & he was extremely close to having a major heart attack!” she pointed out. “Fortunately, it was corrected in time, and with GOD’S GRACE (and a wonderful team of doctors), we’re living out a MIRACLE & are going home today.”

Following his hospital discharge, Kelly Jo said Gill will start “cardiac therapy” and will need “some other diet and medicine changes.”

“His normal activity should be able to resume,” she further revealed. “We’re beyond thankful for the love, care, & many prayers we’ve been showered with from family, friends, & medical staff these past 2 days. We would also covet your prayers, but mostly, we just want to lift our hands in praise to a powerful, wonderful, loving God for extending Gil’s life & letting us have another day to witness His goodness.”

The medical emergency occurred just days after the Bates family celebrated Gill’s son Warden’s wedding. Warden and his wife Kaybrie hosted a second ceremony months after their May wedding.