A Rude Awakening
Kim is an early riser. The alarm wakes her at 4:30am but she does like a little snooze before getting out of bed. This one time the snooze went longer than normal. Arnesto her husband heard a strange sound, he called out "Binky?", but when he looked over he saw Kim had her tongue between her teeth and wasn't breathing.He called 9-1-1 and started chest compressions immediately, right there on the… Read More
He Would Not Stop
On a normal working day at the Supreme Court, Kathy takes her lunch behind a closed door in her office. Lucky for her this particular Wednesday in August 2012 she did not. Instead she had a colleague working with her on a video presentation and so was not alone when her heart stopped beating. "I said 'I can't breathe,' and fell off my chair. Now I'm, not a big joker, especially at work, but she… Read More
He Was a Challenge, But He's Not Leaving
Jack and Davelyn had a restaurant, just a small local place, called the Bottle & Bean Bistro, north of Raleigh. The hours were a bit of a strain, maybe a bit too much for Jack because he keeled over one evening just around closing time. The cook found him on the kitchen floor and called out. Deb and Tammy, customers sampling a glass or two of wine with Davelyn, came to the rescue. Deb being a… Read More
Marathon Man Had the Luckiest Day of His Life
If you run 1,000 miles a year you'd think you were healthy and "cardiac safe". If you have run seven marathons you'd know you're fit and healthy. Except for that one time. It was the eighth marathon, and Tony never got past the 2 mile mark. "It was just like any other day, for a marathon. Everything was pretty much the same as every run I'd trained for... We were all lined up at the starting… Read More
Whenever His Back Aches
Douglas was at a peak of fitness and had done all the right things; eating healthily, losing weight, working out. So when he felt a terrible back-ache at the Notre Dame game he didn't think of cardiac issues. Alas, he didn't get to see his alma mater kickoff. Neither did his father. They spent the next week in a hospital trying to understand what caused Douglas to fall face down on the pavement… Read More
No Stopping Those Roller-coaster Rides!
Born with congenital heart defects means that Michelle has been sport restricted her whole life. She got her first cardiac device implanted as a toddler. She joined the zipper club before primary school, and she absolutely loves a roller-coaster ride. One Monday afternoon at school gym playing dodgeball, Michelle felt ill, took a break and collapsed. On the wall next to her was an AED, the Art… Read More
Spring Break Nearly Broke Her
April fools day is not the time to fool around with a heart attack. Not if you live out in the country. And not if you're a Grandmother. Alas, Patricia didn't realize she was suffering a complete blockage of her LAD artery. In men it's called a "widow maker". A few days before, Patricia's arms had felt sore. "Like I had been moving furniture!" she said. But she hadn't. She also felt a little out… Read More
This Movie Nearly Had a Bad Ending
My story begins on April 1, 2010. I had spent the day with my grandaughter. We had gone to the movies and out to lunch and had a nice day. That afternoon, right after my daughter left with my granddaughter, I started feeling dizzy and short of breath. I called my husband and told him I needed to see a doctor. He happened to be right around the corner and was there to pick me up in minutes. He… Read More
A College Student’s Story of Survival
For most college students facing their 21st birthday, plans for celebration and exciting thoughts for experiencing new places and people are the common theme. Unfortunately in my case, thoughts of survival and whether I was ever going to maintain a normal lifestyle at 20 were at the forefront of my contemplations. At the age of 15, I was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a disease that… Read More