April Fools’ Day Miracle
by Melinda
 Most
people think of April 1st as April Fools’ Day, a day of jokes,
pranks and laughter. For me, it’s a day a miracle happened. At
about 5:00 P.M., as I walked up the steps by Gwinn Commons at
Seattle Pacific University (SPU) campus in Seattle, I collapsed
in sudden cardiac arrest. And thanks to the foresight of my
university, the capable hands of two security officers, and an
AED (automated external defibrillator), I live to tell the
story.
I don’t recall anything about the rest of that day, but others
filled me in on the details. It was a day of coincidences. My
art history class got out early, or there wouldn’t have been so
many people around when I collapsed. The right people happened
to be nearby. A fellow student retrieved her sister, a nursing
student, from the campus library. The nursing student and others
gave me CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Two of my guy
friends who saw what was happening called campus security, kept
people away and also helped with CPR.
When security officers arrived, they had an AED (automated
external defibrillator) in hand. The officers shocked my heart
two times before it started beating again. If they had not had
an AED, I probably wouldn’t be here today. The firemen arrived
quickly, but probably not quickly enough for a heart in sudden
cardiac arrest.
I was lucky. My university had set up an AED program. AEDs were
installed in the gym and health center, and with security—to be
prepared if needed.
And it was needed, for me. I knew I had a heart condition. As a
child I was diagnosed with asymmetric septal hypertrophy, a
hereditary condition passed on to me from my father’s side of
the family. It causes a thickening of the wall in the heart. On
medications since 16, I had regular exams and didn’t have
symptoms. My checkup six months earlier went fine. I didn’t
worry about things too much—I pretty much felt invincible.
Until April 1, 2003, when my heart stopped beating. My friends
watched as I was loaded into the ambulance for transport to
Harborview Medical Center. My parents came up from our hometown
of Salem, Oregon to begin the anxious wait with my friends,
wondering if I would recover completely. |
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My
first memory after losing consciousness was April 5th. When I
woke up I was very confused about where I was and why. My
parents were in the room with Dad’s boss and his wife. All of us
wondered what triggered the arrest. When my hospital roommate
coded that night, it was frightening to say the least.
Later that week in x-ray, I had
to stand up and be off oxygen for a short time. I grew dizzy and
warm, almost collapsing. After this incident, an AED went with
me everywhere.
April 10th, nine days after my sudden cardiac arrest, I
underwent surgery to have an implantable defibrillator inserted
in my body. An ambulance took me to the University of Washington
Medical Center, where I met Dr. Richard Page, a heart rhythm
specialist. He and the nurses explained that a small metal box
about the size of a bar of hotel soap would be placed inside me,
over my heart. This implantable defibrillator could shock my
heart back to a normal rhythm if it beat too fast, or back to
beating if my heart should stop. Because I am so young, a
surgical specialist was onboard to help make the implant as
unnoticeable as possible.
After my discharge from the hospital on April 11th, my mother
and I stayed in an on-campus apartment for the weekend, so I
could adjust. I also had certain limitations: for the next month
I could not lift my arm higher than a 90 degree angle or lift
anything over 10 pounds. Basic tasks such as washing my hair and
getting dressed were a challenge. It may not seem like a big
deal after sudden cardiac arrest, but I had to cut my hair to
make it easier to care for— so much for my plans to grow it
longer.
April 14th found me back in class. Everyone was shocked. They
all thought I was done for the year. But I’m stubborn and I had
no intention of quitting. I wanted to continue with my 17
credits, but my parents and doctors overrode that, so I dropped
down to 12 credits. I finished out the year with decent grades
and had the opportunity to do many fun things with my friends.
There are a few restrictions that go along with having an
implantable defibrillator. No caffeine, medicine every morning,
no roller coasters, and staying away from large speakers at
concerts and security machines at airports. (But who doesn’t
love getting padded down? That’s a story in itself!)
I wear a medic alert bracelet that reminds me daily of what
happened. I will be forever grateful to all the people who
helped me. They saved my life that day and helped God work a
miracle. Now I want to share with others how thankful I am for
that miracle and the difference it’s made in my life. |
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Note:
LIFEPAK AEDs are prescription devices. AED users should be
trained in CPR and use of the AED. Please consult your
physician. Although not everyone can be saved from sudden
cardiac arrest, studies show that survival rates can be
dramatically improved with early defibrillation. For more
information, please call 1.800.442.1142 or visit
www.medtronic-ers.com.
Medtronic Emergency Response Systems • 11811
Willows Road NE • Redmond, WA 98052 • 1.800.442.1142 •
www.medtronic-ers.com
LIFEPAK is a registered trademark of Medtronic
Emergency Response Systems Inc. Medtronic is a registered
trademark of Medtronic, Inc. ©2005 Medtronic Emergency Response
Systems, Inc. MIN 3205902-000 / CAT. 26500-001988 |
