Surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is truly a life-changing moment. And when that incident inspires the survivor to dedicate his life to saving others, everyone wins.
Dan Carmody, ASHI instructor and director of the Survival Group Training Center in North Haven, CT, shared a story about one of his instructors, Mike Papale, and Mike’s foundation, In A Heartbeat, Inc.
According to Mike’s first-person account on his foundation’s website:
I’ve had many experiences that I will never forget, I will never remember the day that I went into cardiac arrest.
I was 17 years old at the time and everything seemed to be falling in to place....I was doing everything I could possibly do to fulfill my dream of being a college basketball player. The morning of August 24, 2006 was no different.... I arrived at the Parks and Recreation Department, where [a local basketball camp where I was a coach] was being held and walked over to change my shirt. That is all I remember of the day that I “died.”
From what I’ve heard I was sitting down on a bench when I just slumped over onto my knees. No one in the gym really knew what was going on. My dad, my brother, and my best friend stood there, watching. Someone called 911 implying someone had broken a bone. A second 911 was called saying a 17-year-old was on the floor and unresponsive. There was no automated external defibrillator on site.
That was when my hero’s pager went off. Luckily, he was working right next door in a different building. He left work without anyone noticing and ran over to where I was. By the time he got to me, I had turned blue and was taking my last agonal breaths. He gave me CPR perfectly, saving my life (as well as my brain).
When the ambulance arrived, they used an AED to restart my heart and put it into a normal rhythm.... I was brought to MidState Medical Center where I had a second arrest....
Finally, I started to come around and began to remember where I was and why I was there. I [received a] diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a thickness of the septum and apex of my heart.... I would have an ICD, or a defibrillator, implanted in me and I would never be able to play competitive basketball again.
In August 2014, eight years after my cardiac arrest, it was time to get my defibrillator battery changed.... I went in for the surgery and unfortunately, it didn’t work....my implanted defibrillator had become infected. It would have to come out.... Unfortunately, while they were removing one of the leads, the scar tissue ripped and they had to perform emergency open-heart surgery.
I [have] been blessed with two different situations in my life where I was fortunate to survive. This is where the idea for the In A Heartbeat Foundation came. With the help of family and friends, I decided it was time for us to start our own nonprofit foundation with one goal in mind: to save lives.
The hero Mike references in his story is Bob Huebner, a volunteer firefighter, who also teaches emergency care at Survival Group.
“Mike is a passionate speaker and instructor because, as you read [in his story], he is living proof that the system can work when everyone pulls together,” says TC Director Carmody.
Thank you Mike, Bob, and Dan, for your commitment to bystander emergency care training!
If you are interested in taking a CPR, AED, or first aid class, there’s an ASHI or MEDIC First Aid Training Center near you. Click the button below to search our directory.
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