My father, Jamie suffered a major heart attack while driving his work van last Monday afternoon (7/24). He veered off of the road and bystanders called 911. He was found unresponsive and not breathing. CPR was started and he was zapped 3 times with the defibrillators before he started breathing. Ambulance took him to Sacred Heart Hospital Emergency. The outlook was pretty bleak that day and we weren't sure how long his brain was without oxygen and if he would come back to us. Anybody that knows Jamie, knows he is a badass, tough, stubborn Irishman! That man, within 12 hours of a major heart attack, tried to climb out of bed! They had to restrain him (tie his arms & legs loosely to the bed) to keep him from getting out of bed. He was very confused and had no memory of what happened. We had to tell him every couple of minutes that he had a heart attack, and he was surprised each time. By that next night, he was telling us that he had a heart attack. He has continued to improve miraculously each day, amazing us, his nurses & doctors. His memory is improving, but he will never get back those 20+ minutes that he was literally dead. The heart catheter test showed blockages in all 4 of his major arteries, and he will require a quadruple bypass open heart surgery. They were possibly going to do the surgery yesterday (Tuesday 8/1), but the blood thinners they pumped him full of were not quite cleared from his system, so Thursday was going to be the day. But as of this morning, they have moved the surgery to Friday 8/4. We are so thankful for all of the support from family and friends during this emotional, difficult time. We have every confidence that Jamie will pull through this like he did his Lymphoma cancer 7 years ago and come out the other side better than ever! Our family has been spending long days at the hospital each day, traveling about an hour each way. Jamie will be off work for a few months as he recovers from open heart surgery. Any donations will help his wife Sherrie with traveling expenses and extra financial hardships during this difficult time. Know that your love and support is greatly appreciated by our family. Please continue to keep Jamie and our family in your thoughts and prayers!
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