Windham supervisor on the mend after major medical emergency

WINDHAM―It would be a private family matter if Thomas Hoyt wasn’t also the Windham town supervisor, prompting him to deliver a forthright message to the community.

“Many people may have heard I had a major health condition over the past week,” Hoyt said in a recent interview on local WRIP radio.

“It started with a minor stroke. Upon investigation they found some floating blood clots,” Hoyt said from his hospital bed at Albany Medical Center.

“One of those blood clots ended up in my heart,” Hoyt said, noting he had been released from Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson before a second emergency situation surfaced.

“I was told I was having a heart attack,” Hoyt said, explaining that he was in a private car at the time, necessitating a call to 911 and resulting in crews from Greene County EMS and Town of Durham Ambulance being dispatched to the scene along with State Police.

“Within minutes, they found where it was blocked up. They couldn’t get to it. They inserted a balloon to keep blood pressure in the heart. I ended up at Albany Med,” Hoyt said.

“They’ve taken eight million tests and ten gallons of blood. It feels like I was run over by a truck and backed over, but I am on the mend,” he added.

Differing medical opinions have been offered as to what happens next. In the meantime, Hoyt said, “I will be here for a couple of days if not more.”

“I want the residents of Windham to know the town is more than in good hands with all the ladies in the office, Deputy Supervisor Wayne VanValin, the highway department, police and ambulance departments.

“I do my best to talk to them at least once a day when my daughter comes. My family has taken my phone away because I need to rest and, if the phone was ringing, I would answer it and jibber jabber,” Hoyt said.

“We’re prepared. We gotta’ keep going, regardless if the head dog is on his back,” Hoyt said, getting up and around a bit, hopeful of a rapid trip home.

Hoyt serves as occupational safety and health officer for Greene County and, in early December, announced his plans to run for a New York State Assembly seat as a Republican, replacing Chris Tague.

The process for choosing a GOP nominee for Greene County began on January 22 with a gathering of party heads from each town. Tague is seeking a move to the State Senate.

‍