Survivor: David Doyle
Date of Event:
Location of Event: At home, Durham, North Carolina
Rescuer(s):Susan Doyle
February 1, 2013 was the day that changed our lives forever. After we had gone to bed that night, my wife felt my back and realized that my heart had stopped. She performed CPR until the EMTs arrived. They used the AED twice in the bedroom, twice in the ambulance and a couple more times in the hospital ICU.
I spent the next two weeks in a coma. My wife was by my side everyday. After waking up, I was a little scared, as expected. After my wife told me what had happened, I couldn't believe it. I was 56-years-old and my father had passed away at 56. I was in the ICU for another week and then a step down room. I finally left the hospital after a month.
I was in rehab at home for a month. My wife stayed with me the entire time. I then started rehab at Duke Hospital for another three months. During this time our daughter was also recovering from triple bypass surgery. She had heart problems for a while and it was decided she needed surgery. She had her surgery the week before my cardiac arrest. She left behind two beautiful daughters. So my wife was dealing with that also.
After eight months I finally went back to work. Every night before bed, I thank my wife. She is truly my life saver.
Nominated by David Doyle