Archive - Jan 2009 - Blog entry

Today I joined the SCA foundation.  I am grateful to be able to do so.  I found this site link on the PBS The Mysterious Human Heart resources webpage. Thank you to PBS and this foundation for bringing people together. 

I survived a sudden cardiac arrest on March 1, 2008, almost one year ago.  My family and I feel so blessed that I made it.  But it would not have been possible without the help of volunteers who performed CPR as soon as they were able to reach me.

May God bless the angels of this world that walk among us ready to lend a hand in any moment.

With much Love,

Kim

My name is Sean Beard and I have been a paramedic for over 9 years, working in both EMS and for 6 years in the cardiac catheterization lab. I also worked for 2 years as a clinical research coordinator in cardiovascular studies before coming to my current job as a Safety Consultant for Code Red, LLC.

Code Red is a leading national company that educates and assists companies and/or organizations who want to learn more about, or create, AED programs to protect their employees. Our company is one of only six national training centers for the American Heart Association, as well as, a leading distributor for the 5 major manufacturers' of AED's in the United States. We combine our education, training and sales with an emphasis to be the 'turn-key' solution for all of a company's safety needs. We carry a full line of safety supplies and offer the industry's strongest program management that ensures that your AED program is compliant and effective.

 Say goodbye to a tough year, healthwise. After being in the best physical shape in years by mid-May, I declined to about the worst. First the bike crash on May 17, snapping the frame and twisting my back. Four months later, with a new bike I started riding again. Four weeks later I declared to my wife that I was quickly coming back. A week later, SCA and two weeks in Harborview. What a shock. I still can't believe that I, and we, went through it, and survived.

Having family, especially my wife, Marty's support, makes all the difference. And now, she's the one who feels more tenuous than I, at least emotionally. Which is her m.o., to be more conservative, so I can't be too shocked. I'd like to get riding again, and look forward to another year of long distance events. I'll take my time to build up, looking at three to four months of increasing mileage, before tackling anything too long, i.e. a 200k.