At 76 years old, he was running half marathons; officiating high school football, basketball, baseball and softball games; and serving as a ski-patrol officer. 

But everything changed last May when John Nakich checked his watch after officiating a baseball game. 

“My watch also measures my pulse, and the readings were jumping all over the place. From 130 down to 70, to 98 down to 42,” said the Berlin resident and retired social-studies and drivers-education teacher at Salisbury-Elk Lick High School.  

He thought something was wrong with the watch – until he tried ascending stairs to change from his officiating uniform. Suddenly, he was completely out of breath – something his wife of 53 years, Michele, knew was unusual for such a fit man. 

She convinced him to visit the emergency room at the Conemaugh Health System’s Meyersdale Hospital.  

Shortly afterward, he was in an ambulance headed to Conemaugh’s Level One Trauma Center in Johnstown. Enroute, he was treated for AFib (atrial fibrillation) – a disorder in which the heart’s upper chambers beat chaotically and irregularly, causing irregular heartbeats that can increase stroke risk. 

The following day, Dr. Savas Mavridis, cardiovascular surgeon, performed five hours of open-heart surgery on John.  

“This thing hit me out of the blue. Leading up to it, I had no pain, nothing,” John said. “I woke up five days after the operation, saw the IV in my arm, and realized I was on a respirator.” 

After a successful surgery, John faced the next challenge: regaining his strength at Crichton Rehabilitation Center. “They got me back on my feet and helped me regain the strength needed to return home and resume my normal routine,” he said. 

The Crichton Rehabilitation Center has been named one of “America’s Best Rehabilitation Centers for 2025” by Newsweek Magazine. 

While he’s back to substitute teaching and administering drivers-ed tests, John is antsy to return to sports officiating. It appears that he’ll miss this football season, but he’s counting on officiating high school basketball this year and returning as a ski-patrolman once the snow flies. 

“I’m not back 100-percent yet, but I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “Thank goodness for Conemaugh’s trauma center, Doctor Mavridis and the Crichton Rehab Center. I’m very grateful for the whole nine yards.”