Published on July 21, 2025
A Story of Gratitude: Bobby’s Wish for Owensboro
After suffering a massive heart attack in 2023, Bobby Patton’s life changed in an instant. He was sent to UK HealthCare in Lexington for emergency treatment, where he would eventually undergo a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) procedure. Far from home and unsure of what lay ahead, Bobby was navigating one of the hardest chapters of his life.
Back in Owensboro, Amber Enlow, a newly appointed Cardiac Nurse Navigator at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, had just met Bobby during an earlier inpatient stay. He was her first heart failure patient.
“He was very worried,” Amber recalled, “but determined. He said, ‘I’m not ready to lose this battle yet.’”
Amber followed his care closely—both before and after his transfer to UK. For 12 weeks, they stayed in touch, their relationship growing deeper as Bobby worked through his recovery.
Then one day, Bobby called Amber in tears.
He had just received a bouquet of flowers from a local nonprofit while recovering at UK. It wasn’t the flowers themselves—but the fact that someone had thought of him. It was simple. It was unexpected. And it meant everything.
“He called me all tearful,” Amber said. “Telling me how it brightened his day. It really touched him.”
That moment stuck with him. And he made a quiet promise to himself: “One day, I’ll do the same for someone else.”
Now, nearly two years later, that promise has come home.
With support from the Owensboro Health Foundation and a few generous donors, Bobby helped launch Petals for Patients—a program that delivers fresh flower arrangements to individuals receiving care at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. The program brings fresh flower arrangements to individuals receiving care at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital—especially those who might need a little extra encouragement. A birthday spent in the hospital. A long stretch without visitors. A tough diagnosis. A hard week.
Recently, Bobby returned to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital to help deliver a few of the program’s very first bouquets.
He was emotional as he handed them out—quietly honoring the journey that brought him back.
“I just want to brighten someone’s day,” Bobby said. “Being in the hospital and away from your family is really hard. But they should know someone is thinking of them.”
It’s not about fixing everything. It’s about reminding someone they’re seen. They matter.
And they’re not alone.
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; four outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.