I'm Still Dancing on This Side of the Ground

On July 16, 2016 in celebration of life, I will be spending dinner with the two bystanders who used their collective CPR skill to save my life. On November 15, 2016, I was driving a big rig with a 53 foot trailer full of the United states Mail, I drove for a private contractor. I was traveling over the Sierra Mountains and Donner Summit in the first snow storm of the year when I suddenly died. This is more than a dramatic statement, because when the heart stops one dies. Miraculously 29 weeks later, I am reporting to you that this was my first and only Sudden Cardiac Arrest. This is 1 in 6 with a happy ending.

During the storm on that Sunday in the storm, Interstate Highway #80 was in fact a plugged artery itself, plugged with loads of packed vehicles trying t o creep over the mountains safely towards Sacramento California. By the official accident reports and other evidence, I deduced that I lost physical control of the big rig and instinctively headed for safe parking. The facts show that I missed the Run-Away Truck Ramp by several feet. Instead I drove unconsciously through the sign itself and into the forest. Thereby I prevented an even more terrible accident on the roadway in the snow. An accident there in the crowded interstate would have surely caused several injuries and maybe the lives to anyone else involved and stopped traffic for several hours. The two persons I mentioned above had been following my semi-truck for a few miles unable to maneuver through congested traffic. By now they were acutely aware that something was wrong and out of the ordinary with my driving. I was weaving my way off the road and through a ditch. Many days later in a moment of lucidity, I reported that my controls, the steering wheel and brakes were too heavy to operate. I was all that I could do to hold it in a straight line and that was why I was running over trees, parking my truck several feet off the asphalt. But this part of the report wasn't made until I had regained consciousness several days later.

It was at this point my saviors took over and a whole series of miracles began with their quick thinking that kept me from dying any further. Because of their quick actions, I remained alive long enough for an empty ambulance and the EMT's following us ten minutes to the rear of my debacle to finally arrive. Produce their life saving Automatic Electric Defibrillators and six zaps later, my heart finally responded. I was beating long enough to get to an emergency room that was located over 40 miles away and still moving through stormy weather. It was there that I was finally diagnosed with a plugged Ventricle Artery, less than 10% of it was function. Thus a coronary stent was inserted that immediately improved blood flow and relieved me of my short term memories loss.

Long story short, it has been seven and a half months later. To celebrate, I am taking my first responders, a couple of life savers, out to dinner to express my gratitude for their CPR skills. It was in fact their care of life and learning CPR that made them the kind of bystanders that lept into action when it was most needed. How cool is that?

If anyone is interested in more facts on this story, I have pictures and all the official reports of which I am happy to share. Plus I have firsthand knowledge of what happens when one looses their short term memory and the action of recovery during a SCA event. In a word, I am back. I am naturally retired from trucking. Instead, I re-trained myself to enjoy the rest of my life no matter what happens to my next including another SCA event. In so doing, I am voicing my gratitude to everyone who makes it part of their life to save others, though their CPR skills.