Stan Wisniewski, 94, was honored by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation with its inaugural “Stan Wisniewski Inspiration Award,” in Sherrills Ford, North Carolina. The award celebrates Stan’s “perseverance and optimism in overcoming sudden cardiac arrest, offering hope and inspiration to countless others.”
A Navy medical corps veteran of the Korean War, Stan survived Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) at age 24 under extraordinary circumstances. On December 17, 1954, while working as a radiology technologist at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Chicago, he collapsed without warning. Surgeon C. David Brown, MD, happened to enter the radiology department at that moment searching for x-ray films. Witnessing the crisis, Dr. Brown used a pocketknife to perform an emergency thoracotomy, breaking two ribs to begin internal heart massage. He was soon joined by two other physicians, and together, they took turns administering manual heart massage every three minutes.
At the time, there was only one defibrillator available in Chicago, located at a nearby hospital. It was rushed to Lutheran Deaconess, but when it was plugged in, it short-circuited and blew a fuse.
After two and a half hours of continuous manual heart massage, Stan’s heart miraculously resumed beating. He was placed in an oxygen tent to prevent brain damage. After 22 days of hospitalization and a month of recuperation at home, Stan returned to work full-time just 10 weeks after being discharged.
In 1957, Stan married Jaci Dressler, a fellow radiology technologist, and they later had two children. Stan went on to become one of only three Radiology Department Managers in the United States at the time.
Stan’s remarkable case garnered widespread media attention, with numerous stories appearing both domestically and internationally. His case was also featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association on February 2, 1957, and again on April 13, 1957. The latter article, titled "Near Life, Near Death, Near God," emphasized the significance of faith during the ordeal. “Everyone in sight of the victim was praying, some audibly,” Dr. Brown recalled. “A priest was even called to administer Last Rites.” While the doctors stopped short of calling it a miracle, they acknowledged that the power of prayer may have influenced Stan’s survival.
“Somebody made the right decision at the right time. Because of them, I’m still here,” said Stan. “I just keep living. With Jaci by my side, I have everything,” said Stan.
“It was a profound honor to finally meet Stan and Jaci after many years of connecting by phone, letters, and emails,” said Mary Newman, president of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. “We are deeply inspired by his resilience and unwavering optimism. Presenting this award alongside board members and SCA survivors, Ed Kosiec, and Johnnie Davis, made the occasion even more memorable.”
Stan Wisniewski will mark the 70th anniversary of his survival on December 17, 2024.