Michéal’s Story:
Michéal and his wife Orla
Michéal, a 59-year-old Dad of three from Ratoath was a lorry driver. He’d just come off a long twelve-hour shift on the 13th December 2022 when the unthinkable happened… his heart stopped beating!
“My wife Orla always has her friends Debbie and Kate around on Tuesday evenings. They have a little catch-up at the kitchen table and play some cards – which can get quite competitive at times – so myself and the kids usually give them a wide berth 😊. That evening I was in the kitchen prepping some food for them. I was tired after the work, but no more than normal. That’s when it happened…
“One of the girls looked over at me and said ‘Why’s Michéal lying on the floor?’. Kate sprang into action immediately. Now, there are some days you think the universe might be looking after you, and I was blessed that Kate was in the room with us that evening. She’s a qualified Cardiovascular Nurse from the Mater Hospital with over 20 years’ experience. In fact, she’s so experienced she now lectures in cardiovascular nursing.
“Kate felt for a pulse… there was none… no heartbeat. She cleared the room, got Debbie to call an ambulance and started CPR. There were no signs of life for 30 minutes, I can’t imagine how traumatic it must have been for everyone there – they thought I was gone. Then Kate felt a slight pulse in my neck. She continued working on me and was joined by the first responders. In all, I was unresponsive for about 40 minutes. Kate actually worked so hard in delivering the CPR to keep me alive that she broke my breastbone.
“Once I was ‘back’, they got me into the ambulance and straight to the Mater. I went into surgery immediately and had a stent fitted. My cardiac arrest has been caused by a blockage in one of the very small capillary vessels at the front of the heart.
“I have no recollection of the 12-15 hours before my cardiac arrest occurred. My memories only start again three days after the event. Maybe it’s the mind’s way of trying to protect itself. I believe during that time I was crying to Orla to take me home and Professor Galvin, who was looking after me, told me I nearly landed a right hook on him, but as I said… no recollection.
“There is definitely, however, a type of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) that comes with these major heart events. I struggled to believe I survived. I remember coming home after eight days and sitting in the front room convinced it was all a dream… that my mind was playing tricks on me… that I hadn’t come through it… that I wasn’t alive. Then I checked Google (a mistake I know) and the chances of someone surviving based on how long I was gone are so small. I really felt I couldn’t still be alive.
“This is where Cardiac Rehab becomes so vital, and I was blessed to be looked after by the Mater’s wonderful team at Heart House on Eccles St. They helped rebuild me – physically and mentally. On my first treadmill test, I could barely make 5 mins. But they reassured me that I wasn’t that bad, and it would get better. Your fellow heart patients going through the rehab with you really help. They all tell their stories of what they’ve been through.
“I told mine. Telling it I realised I had been so lucky to survive, especially without brain damage. Some of those with me had visible scars from heart surgery showing what they’d been through – I hadn’t a mark. People would say you look great but sometimes the scars are invisible, you have to learn how to deal with them. At the end of my eight weeks of Cardiac Rehab, I finished 10 minutes on the treadmill with some energy to spare, the difference was immense.
“We’re now nine months on and I continue to improve. I don’t think I’ve ever been healthier. I’ve kept up the exercise and my stress levels are reduced, as I haven’t gone back to my old driving role. I’m lucky to have the wonderful Orla, who now works full time, to keep me on track.
“All four of us who were there that night have since sat in the kitchen and had a good chat about what happened… it was cathartic. Kate won’t take the praise, but I wouldn’t be here without her. I know how traumatic it must have been for her to work on someone she knows so well – but her professionalism and training saved my life, I’ll be forever grateful.”
Michéal McNally, Ratoath
With World Heart Day on the 29th September, Michéal is sharing his story to highlight the vital importance of CPR training and Cardiac Rehab. It’s also essential to be aware of your Heart Health, because ‘when we know more we can take better care’.
We’ve attached a quick ‘5 Tips when delivering CPR’ to this story and don’t forget that you can search ‘AED Near Me’ on Google Maps to find where your local defibrillator is.
To support cardiac care at the Mater Public Hospital you can make a donation via https://www.materfoundation.ie/donate/ by selecting ‘Patient Stories’ from the ‘I’m donating to’ drop-down menu.
