Damar Hamlin

By now, everyone knows what happened to Buffalo Bill’s twenty-four-year-old safety Damar Hamlin last Monday night in the Bills vs. Bengals NFL football game in Cincinnati, Ohio. From Hamlin’s sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) to heroes attending him on the field for nine minutes performing CPR before getting a pulse to his speaking this morning after doctors removed his ventilator, his recovery has been miraculous. Unfortunately, less than 1% of those suffering from SCA survive with full brain function. I know because on March 19, 2019, I suffered SCA, and it took fifteen minutes before those who gave me CPR brought me back. I pray that Damar Hamlin recovers and fully returns to his life before SCA, as I have.

If this could happen to a professional athlete like Damar Hamlin, those reading this could equally suffer SCA. I’m posting this today because I recommend you check with your doctor to see if you have any unknown heart issues. There are several simple tests to determine if you have issues, and one of them is an inexpensive procedure called a heart scan, also known as a coronary calcium CT scan. This simple, affordable (locally, it costs under $ 100) procedure can discover if some changes in your life are needed. To learn more about heart scans, please visit this link to a Mayo Clinic article.

You can read my SCA experience in more detail by following this link to my blog, Being Thankful.

Three Years Ago Today – 19 March 2022

Three years ago today, I suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and it took 15 minutes for many heroes to bring me back to life. I wrote a blog about the experience titled Being Thankful. The last paragraph in that blog advised those who read it to have a coronary calcium CT or heart scan as it could save their life. I still strongly suggest that you schedule this simple, inexpensive scan at your health provider.

I still occasionally joke with family and friends about Billy Crystal’s character Miracle Max the Wizard’s memorable lines from the movie The Princess Bride about Cary Elwes character Westley,

“Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there’s usually only one thing you can do.”

Dark, I know, but it makes perfect sense to me. I know that I am blessed.

Looking back over the past three years, I can tell you that each day since experiencing SCA has been a blessing. I try to live each day to the fullest as you never know when today could be your last. I suggest that you do the same.