Posted by cpollitt on 07/25/2017

In 2003, I had a heart attack. I was in the gym and felt tired. I went home and then drove to the hospital. My blood pressure was through the roof. After blood tests they told me they thought I had had a heart attack. They started me on heparin and kept me overnight. My wife was incredulous she thought I was teasing her. The cardiologist came in the next morning and said I had had a heart attack and needed an angiogram. I asked when I should schedule it and he said "Today". I ended up with three stents......fast forward to June 2011. I am on a week long organized bike ride with 2500 of my best friends. I have done this ride a dozen times before.....400 miles or so in the mountains. I am with my 14 year old daughter on a tandem. First day, first climb......I feel tired and we pull over so I can find a "sag" wagon to take us up the pass we are on. I step off the bike and that is the last thing I remember for 24 hours......I passed out and fell over. My daughter said she thought I was doing some crazy yoga move. Luckily, an EMT was standing 15 feet away and saw me fall over. (He said he had learned how to be an EMT specifically so he would be ready when he saw an SCA). He started working on me right away. An ambulance was close by and came with oxygen and an AED. I was out about 8 minutes still I started breathing on my own again. Meanwhile, someone had taken my daughter under their wing to watch over her. She had my phone. My wife called her coincidentally to see how we were doing (she was in a car ahead of us). The woman who was watching my daughter told my wife what had happended. My wife stops her car gets out and starts crying that she has killed me (she had to talk me into the trip). Meanwhile I am in the ambulance headed to the local clinic. My wife meets me there and says I looked fine and was chatting and laughing ( I have no memory of this). The clinic is not equipped for much so I am flight for lifed (with one of my other daughters for company) to an urban hospital. Two weeks later I leave with a Quadruple bypass AND an ICD ! I am happy, healthy and grateful for every day that I can enjoy life and see my kids, grandkids, friends and my wife, the love of my life. Did I have an NDE ? Nope. Do I wonder why I survived an event that kills most ? Yep. But I don't obsess over it. If I figure it out I'll write another blog.

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