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HANNIBAL, MO. -- Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Shinn is no stranger to emergency situations.

He's seen all kinds of things during his 21 years in law enforcement.

But last Wednesday night, he found himself in his own emergency...one that could've taken his life.

Now he's spreading the word to keep this from happening to you and your family in this KHQA Safe Family report.

Sheriff Jimmy Shinn is home these days resting up after he suffered a heart attack last week. He's only 42 years old, and he tells KHQA he was surprised when he started having chest pains. Then he broke out into a cold sweat. Then he felt numbness in his fingertips and toes. That's when he knew it was time to call 911. He soon found himself here at Hannibal Regional Hospital where he had a stent put in. One of his arteries was 100% blocked. KHQA spoke to Shinn's doctor about his case. He told us everyone can learn from what happened to Sheriff Shinn.

"You do not want to wait ten minutes or 30 minutes or an hour. If you do have chest pain...just because you're young or never had any problem, you do not want to ignore it," says Dr. Bassem Mikhail with the Hannibal Clinic.

The reason, your heart is a muscle, and the longer you wait to get help, the more muscle dies that won't come back. Dr. Bassem Mikhail with the Hannibal Clinic says it's best to err on the side of caution. Anytime you have pain in your chest, you should get it checked out. It may turn out to be heartburn, or it could be a heart attack. Something else to keep in mind are your risk factors like being overweight, having high cholesterol, or a family history. Sheriff Shinn's father was diagnosed with heart disease in his 40s, so Shinn knew it could eventually catch up with him. One other thing to keep in mind if you or a loved one is having a heart attack, call 911 for help.

"You do not want to drive yourself in this situation or even your loved ones. If they are stressed out or in pain, you don't want them to have an accident," says Dr. Mikhail.

Sheriff Shinn is taking his heart attack as a wake up call. He wants to raise awareness that people his age can have heart attacks. He says he's already heard from some friends who say they are going to get checked out so they won't go through what he has.

Sheriff Shinn says he checks in everyday with the Sheriff's Department.

He hopes to be back at work, for at least half days, next week.

He also wants to bring a wellness program to the Sheriff's Department.