James Gaken, Norwood, MA – 58 at the time of event (2005)
The night I died, my wife and I were on our way to visit our daughter in New York City. This was November 10th, 2005. We had stopped at Foxwood’s Casino in Connecticut for dinner and a little entertainment before resuming our trip.
As we were leaving the casino, my arrest occurred. My wife, who is a nurse, knew exactly what had happened and thought I was dead by the time I hit the floor.
Luckily, the incident happened within 30 feet of a security desk, which was equipped with an AED (automated external defibrillator). Security personnel were able to apply the AED in less than two minutes and get my heart beating again. (Because this was a casino I’m sure there are some pretty good pictures of the event since cameras are everywhere.)
EMT’s arrived shortly and transported me to the local hospital, where I spent the night. That’s the first thing I remember, waking up in the ambulance and wondering where I was.
The next day I was moved to Boston Medical Center where I had a cardiac catheterization done. The doctor who performed this procedure told me that my arteries were clean and that I even had room for cheese (medical humor, I guess). An ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) was implanted in my chest on Wednesday of that week and the following day I was on my way home.
The Monday after Thanksgiving I was back at work with a lot to be thankful for.
-SCA Survivor Registry Submission