Heart Attack - Alan's Story
Heart Attack - Alan's Story
https://www.mainehealth.org/heart - Alan Tate, a firefighter/paramedic in North Conway, has helped save lives for over 20 years. While on an emergency call, he experienced a heart event himself. His fellow paramedics called back up, and Alan was rushed to Memorial Hospital, then to MMC. He shares his story from one day being in good health to the next day preparing for a complex heart operation. His surgeon, Dr. Walter DeNino, calls Alan lucky to be alive. Alan calls his MaineHealth care team, along with his EMT colleagues, “the family” that saved his life.
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0.957 -> >> In my 50 or so years in EMS,
4 -> I've probably done hundreds
and hundreds of cardiac arrests
8.24 -> and I know how few get to be resuscitated
12.72 -> and actually return to a normal life.
15.549 -> [music]
19.169 -> >> April 23rd, I got toned for
a woman down at a local hotel,
25.12 -> not breathing, CPR in progress.
27.2 -> I remember squeezing the bag 3, 4
times and then nothing after that.
33.604 -> >> Alan just kind of just went face first
36.48 -> and we were like, "what is he doing?"
38.96 -> And we rolled him over and
he was not breathing well.
43.52 -> And we discovered he didn't have a pulse,
so we immediately started CPR on him.
49.074 -> >> They transported me to Memorial Hospital
51.76 -> and then I remember being loaded into
the helicopter, transported to Maine Med.
57.12 -> I woke up and, in your mind,
it's like, what happened?
61.2 -> I mean, how did I get here without a symptom?
63.599 -> >> There's lots of people
walking around that don't know
66.4 -> that they have the potential
for catastrophic cardiac issues.
71.2 -> And many times, it's only after they suffer a
major heart attack that we meet these patients.
76.629 -> >> I met with Dr. DeNino who explained
that I was going to need quadruple bypass.
82.079 -> >> I think one of the nice things about the
relationship we have with Memorial Hospital
85.6 -> is we can treat patients and provide to them
services they wouldn't otherwise be able to get.
92.08 -> And then get them back home and allow them
to participate in things like cardiac rehab
96.24 -> and not necessitate the
long drive back to Portland.
99.334 -> [music]
102.662 -> >> When I was discharged from the
hospital and we turned into the driveway
106.88 -> and there's a bunch of fire trucks, and
the chief's car, and about 20 people there.
113.514 -> And I just... I lost it.
116 -> This is what we do for each other.
118.56 -> And to have that support, it's such a boost.
122.48 -> When I see these two, I
mean, it's emotional still.
126.651 -> You know they saved my life.
128.418 -> >> And don't ever do that to us again!
130.531 -> [music]
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBw22CIuJO8