My Dad's Story

Well, I arrived home on Wednesday evening, after being away in Delaware to help care for my mother whose handicapped while my father was in the hospital after suffering a massive heart attack and undergoing a quadruple bypass operation. Here's my Dad's story: On the night of January 2, at about 10:30p.m. a fire broke out in the neighbor's garage which lies along the back property line of my parent's home. Overhanging both properties and the shed is a very tall and expansive cedar tree which my father thought might catch fire as well. Where my parent's live most people go to bed at about 9:30p.m. in the winter time and my father knew that all his neighbors where most likely asleep. So, he sprung into action by calling the fire department and running from house to house to wake all his neighbors. First, he woke the his neighbors whose shed/garage was on fire... after about several minutes of frantic window pounding he got them out of the house. Then, he proceed to wake up the other surrounding neighbors. After that, he ran back into his house to get my mother dressed and into the car so he could drive her to a safe place at the end of his street. Just as the fire department was arriving he and his nextdoor neighbor turned on their rear hoses to soak their roofs and the area around the cedar tree.

As the fire department took over, he and his neighbor Barry stood side by side to watch the fire... about a minute later my Dad grabbed Barry's arm and fell to the ground suffering the massive hear attack...

As luck would have it his neighbor was a former Vietnam Vet who served as a medic. He immediately started CPR and waving for the firemen who rushed over with an emergency defibrillator.

The ambulance was also called arriving about three minutes behind the firemen. At that time, my father had been unconscious, not breathing and without heartbeat for about 4 minutes. Three attempts with the paddles had not revived him. The EMT's immediately got him into the ambulance and performed another defibrillation... luckily it was successful... Along the way to the hospital which was a 2O minute ride, my Dad's pulse gave out and he had to be revived three times more.

At Atlantic General hospital he was stabilzed and but the Doctors there decided to transfer him to Pennisula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland as it it the only hospital that conducts heart surgery on the Delmarva shore.

Two days later upon further stabilaztion the doctors at the Guerreri Heart Clinic at Pennisula Regional performed a quadruple bypass. My Dad has been released from the hospital and is now in recouperation at home.

Thanks to God, luck, his neighbor Barry, the Millville, Delaware Fire Department for their quick response and the great doctors for saving my Dad's life and giving us a chance for a few years more.

Thanks also to my youngest brother Robert who has quit his job to care for our parent's for the next few months as my Dad gets back on his feet after this most shocking event.