Heart attack survivor shares life-saving message ahead of Syracuse Heart Walk
SYRACUSE N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Hundreds of Central New Yorkers will lace up their sneakers to raise money and awareness for CPR education this Sunday, March 30.
Doors will open at the SRC Arena for the Syracuse Heart Walk at 8 a.m. for registration. Opening ceremonies are at 9:45 a.m. NewsChannel 9's Rachel Polansky will be emceeing the American Heart Association's signature fundraising event.
For one Manlius family, the Heart Walk will be more personal than ever before.
'I woke up to a big thud. I ran back up the stairs and I found him,' Julie Cox Gorczynski recounts the moment her world came to a standstill.
It was a Wednesday morning in August 2023. It was a wake-up call Julie will never forget.
'I said 'Are you okay? What's going on?' And he wasn't responding,' Julie said.
Julie's husband, Steve, had collapsed. His heart had stopped beating.
Julie grabbed her phone and dialed 911. Then a dispatcher walked her through CPR.
'We'd done infant and child CPR when our son was born but it had been almost 30 years,' Julie said. 'The dispatcher told me instantly, 'You're going too fast, slow down.''
She continued doing CPR until first responders arrived and rushed her husband to Crouse.
'When it happens, it's like a volcano erupting. It happens suddenly,' Dr. Anil George, a cardiologist at Crouse Health, said.
Dr. Anil George said Steve suffered a heart attack involving a major artery. It's commonly called the 'widowmaker' because only 12 percent of people survive it outside a hospital.
'Everything that could happen to him in a heart attack, happened. But we were able to open up that artery. We sucked out a big piece of clot and then we were able to get a stent in there,' Dr. George said.
The cardiologist believes Julie's quick actions played a crucial role in saving her husband's life.
'His body was not getting any blood flow. That CPR was basically pumping blood to his brain and the rest of his organs to keep him alive until we were able to shock him and get him back into rhythm,' Dr. George added.
But Steve wasn't out of the woods yet.
'He was really sick and he was in shock; what we call cardiogenic shock, which is the sickest state you can be in if you're having a heart attack,' Dr. George said.
Dr. George and his team opened Steve's blocked artery and inserted a stent.
'And thank goodness he got better. And he recovered,' Dr. George added.
Steve would spend the next eight days healing at Crouse — even celebrating his 55th birthday from a hospital bed.
'Pretty special birthday,' Steve said with tears in his eyes. 'Grateful doesn't do it justice.'
No gift could top the one he received that year.
'A lot of things had to happen just right for me to be here today,' Steve said.
Now, Steve is committed to paying it forward — hoping his story will inspire others to learn CPR – giving them the same gift of life he received.
'If my story, if my advocacy can do some good over the long haul, that's the least I can do,' Steve added.
Steve and his family will be participating in the Syracuse Heart Walk on Sunday.
Learn more about hands-only CPR.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cardiologist reveals his ‘go-to' breakfast for a healthy heart
A cardiologist has revealed his favorite breakfast for keeping his heart healthy. Often touted as the most important meal of the day, breakfast fuels you for the hours ahead. However, popular options like muffins, donuts, bacon, and processed cereals are typically high in cholesterol and sugar, making them less ideal for a healthy start. With that in mind, multiple cardiologists and health experts recommend a nutrient-packed breakfast option that's high in fiber and vitamins to kickstart your day. 'My go-to is really oatmeal,' Dr. Andrew Freeman, a cardiologist based in Denver, Colorado, told Today. 'In general, I recommend oatmeal as the best option.' According to Freeman, the best option is a cup of oatmeal prepared with water instead of milk or butter, keeping it lower in calories. He advises adding berries, flax seeds, and walnuts, which offer different health benefits and are rich in fiber. However, it's best to avoid instant oatmeal, as it's more processed and often contains added sugars and artificial ingredients. Oatmeal is high in minerals and vitamins. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a one-cup serving of cooked oatmeal has about 1.8 milligrams of vitamin B1, also known as thiamin, a vitamin that's important for energy production and nerve function. That cup of oatmeal also has nearly four grams of dietary fiber and less than one gram of total sugars. The American Heart Association notes that oatmeal stands out because it has beta-glucan, a dietary fiber that can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and lower blood glucose levels. Along with reducing heart disease and diabetes, beta-glucan also promotes healthy gut bacteria and intestinal health, according to the Mayo Clinic. So, how will oatmeal impact how our body functions? According to EatingWell, having oatmeal for breakfast could reduce your feelings of hunger and make you feel fuller throughout the day. 'Having oats for breakfast or incorporated into different foods as meals and snacks is a great way to give the meal more staying power and help you feel fuller for longer,' registered dietitian Maggie Michalczyk told the publication in January. Michalczyk also noted that beta-glucan 'forms a gel-like consistency in the gut and helps to keep things moving in your digestive tract and keep you regular.' While he's all for having oatmeal in the morning, Freeman previously said that he's trying to cut other foods out of his morning diet. He told Today that he doesn't recommend having eggs for breakfast at all, since they contain a lot of cholesterol. He also steers clear of muffins, danishes, donuts, and croissants in the morning because they're high in fat, sugar, and carbs. However, he admits it's okay to enjoy a small treat occasionally, as long as it's not part of his daily breakfast. 'It's better to have just a small little serving or a taste, and then a big plate of fruit or oatmeal,' he said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hillsborough County installing AEDs at 25 parks and sports complexes
The Brief Hillsborough County is installing AEDs at 23 parks and sports complexes. The AEDs were funded by the American Heart Association. The AEDs will be available for anyone to use in the event of a cardiac emergency. TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County is equipping about two dozen of its parks with emergency gear in the event of a cardiac emergency. The county will install 25 AEDs, automated external defibrillators, at 23 parks and sports complexes across the county. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube What we know The American Heart Assocation funded the purchase of 25 AEDs for the Hillsborough County parks and sports complexes. The first AED has been installed at the Skyway Sports Complex. It will be one of two parks that will have two AEDs onsite, because of its size. "We're going to focus on putting these AEDs in sports complexes like this one that are very, very busy with thousands of users," Mikah Collins of Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation said. "But, we're also going to put them in our parks that are way out in the middle of nowhere, and that's going to be even more important, because it takes so long for an ambulance or first responders to get there." READ: Tampa Police get 300 new lifesaving choking devices from New York-based company The AEDs will be available for public use in the event of a cardiac emergency. The American Heart Association of Tampa Bay said if someone goes into cardiac arrest, when you call 911, dispatchers will give you a code to unlock the box containing the AED. "As soon as you open the machine, it's going to start talking, and it's going to tell you exactly what to do," Courtney Burt, the vice president of community impact with the American Heart Association of Tampa Bay, said. Burt said someone else should be performing CPR while the person is accessing the AED, and you're waiting for EMS to arrive. MORE: Tampa's SoHo braces for stormwater project amid business concerns By the numbers The American Heart Association said the first two minutes of someone going into cardiac arrest are the most important in terms of response. "CPR actually raises a person's chance of survival about two to three times," Burt said. "When we introduce an AED within that two-minute window, it can actually increase their survivability up to almost 70%." Burt said about 1,000 people a day in the U.S. have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. She said a person's chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 10%. "With an AED, it really probably triples your likelihood of surviving a major heart attack," Dr. Doug Ross, the chief medical officer of the AdventHealth West Florida division, said. Dig deeper Ross said an AED can be the difference between life and death. He said the machines are user-friendly and designed to be used by people who are not trained with them. READ: Week-long active threat training held with Hillsborough County deputies "Talks you through it. These are very automatic, you know," Ross said. "You turn it on, it talks you through how to put the pads on, what to do. It'll analyze the heart rhythm. And then, if you need to be shocked, then it tells you to push the button to shock." There's a growing movement to make AEDs more accessible. Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1607, which will require school districts to provide basic first aid training to certain students. It will also require every public school and charter school to have at least one AED on campus by July 1, 2027. "Not only will it help get funding and resources for schools to have the devices, but also the education related to CPR and policies that we call 'Cardiac Emergency Response Plans,'" Burt said. The new Florida law will go into effect on July 1. What's next Hillsborough County officials are installing the AEDs at the county parks and sports complexes and connecting them with 911 now. They hope the AEDs will be ready for use by August. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Fox News
Defibrillator installed on Everest winds up saving climber's life just weeks later
A man who climbed Mount Everest to install a defibrillator there says the device wound up saving a woman's life just three weeks afterward. David Sullivan, 62, made the journey to the Himalayas to place the lifesaving device on the mountain. He believes it is the world's highest-positioned defibrillator, sitting more than 16,000 feet above sea level, according to news agency SWNS. After losing four close friends — all under age 45 — to sudden cardiac arrest, Sullivan founded Code Blue CPR. He began traveling the globe as an advocate to provide CPR training and install life-saving equipment in hard-to-reach places. Earlier this year, Sullivan climbed to an altitude of 22,000 feet to test a defibrillator. He then descended to a village near Everest Base Camp to install it for emergency use. Sullivan returned home to Surrey on April 30, glad about what he'd accomplished — but with no idea how quickly his work would make an impact. Just three weeks later, he got a phone call. "It was … Friday (May 23), at around 3:45 a.m.," Sullivan told SWNS. "I have kids traveling the world, so I initially thought, 'Oh my God, something's happened.'" He added, "But it was a Sherpa [a Tibetan mountain guide] who told me the defibrillator had been activated and saved a 30-year-old woman's life," Sullivan said. "It was the proudest moment of my life." "I hope it will help people realize how important it is to have access to defibrillators." The rescue confirmed why he'd taken on the physically and emotionally demanding journey. While in the Himalayas, Sullivan didn't just install the defibrillator - he also trained local Sherpas and villagers, many of whom had never received emergency medical instruction, according to SWNS. "It is incredible that something so simple can save someone's life - and I hope it will help people realize how important it is to have access to defibrillators," Sullivan said. "Being within three minutes of a defibrillator increases your chance of survival from 8% to more than 50%," he added. For Sullivan, there's another personal angle. "It was the proudest moment of my life." He once had to use his CPR training just months after learning it himself. "I performed nine minutes of CPR for a young man and used a defibrillator just three months after I had been shown how to," he told SWNS. "While I was doing this, around 30 people just watched and didn't help - because they didn't know how." When the young man's mother called him the next day to say her son was alive, Sullivan said it changed his life. "I knew then that everyone should know how to save a life," Sullivan said. Now, Sullivan wants to dedicate himself to reshaping others' lives. He is moving forward with a plan to train 1.2 million students in CPR through a school initiative. "We want every school to have a new defibrillator and every person in the school - students, teachers, staff - to have all the training necessary to save someone's life," he told SWNS. "We won't stop until we achieve that," he also said.
