Saturday, August 1, 2020 John had plans to take his signed Muhammad Ali photograph (which has a whole nother story we'll get into later, love you John!) to get reframed at the Michaels in our town. After dropping off his photograph and making a stop at the dry cleaners, John suffered from cardiac arrest while on his way home. He was moving slowly when he collided with another vehicle. A good samaritan, we think a nurse?- broke the glass on his car window to unlock the doors, get him out, and perform CPR putting my dad's life before hers (bless them, how do you ever repay?). Other bystanders called the paramedics who immediately arrived and resuscitated him before transporting him to the emergency room.
Upon arrival, they intubated him (ventilator) and the police went to our family home to contact my mom and let her know what happen. My mom (Julie), her sister Jen, Tristan, and I all drove to the emergency room to be with my mom and John. Due to COVID-19, they placed restrictions on who could see him, but the great staff at the hospital allowed for me, my mom, and Tristan to go and be with him. While he was unconscious, we talked to him, held his hand, and let him know things were going to be okay. A huge thank you to the paramedic - Joe H. who brought him back to life on the way to the emergency room and at the scene itself.
Still unconscious, the cardiologist (Mr. V) transported him to a nearby hospital to operate on his heart and place a stent in to help clear the blockage. He had a 90% blockage on one side of the heart and a 40% blockage on the other. After the procedure, he was stable and his body, physically, returned to good condition– thank you SO much to this cardiologist for being so patient and making sure John would be okay. His vitals bounced back and he appeared to be getting better, but was still unresponsive.
They're continuing to run tests as we're patiently waiting for him to wake up. We've been able to talk to him over Zoom calls through the hospital so he can hear our voices and cheer him on as he continues to fight. He's SO strong and a fighter!!! We are so thankful for everyone who has been praying and keeping him in their thoughts. We believe he'll be okay. All he's ever done is try to take care of the people around him and now it's our turn to take care of him. Continue to keep him in your prayers, he needs all the strength he can get.
