62-yr-old experienced cardiac arrest after finishing 10k marathon—a lucky coincidence saved her life
Some lucky coincidences can prove to be life-saving for people. A 62-year-old woman who had completed a 10K marathon experienced that after she had a cardiac arrest. The woman, Kim Stevens, was just at the finish line after completing a run in San Diego when she collapsed. However, one of the participants, Christie Morcos, turned out to be a cardiology nurse practitioner. The woman noticed Kim's condition and rushed to provide her medical aid. The timely help ended up saving her life, per CBS 8 San Diego.
The woman was at the Aloha Run and was really glad to finish it. But her happy moment turned out to be one of horror when she started feeling unwell. "She just looked to me like something was not right," Christie recounted. Thankfully, she was able to give Kim CPR right on time and use a defibrillator to bring her back. "We shocked her and she came back." Kim was then taken to the Scripps Memorial Hospital. "That is God's hand in all of this. That is absolutely amazing. I cannot believe this," the woman expressed. The woman had no idea what had happened to her after she woke up. After she came to know that Christie had helped save her life, she was really thankful to her.
Christie's husband, Dr. Peter Morcos, a cardiologist, was also present at the finish line. He helped in saving the woman's life as well, so Kim ended up picking him as her doctor for follow-up medical care and beyond. "It's an amazing thing. I am glad we were there. Usually, our skills are not that useful when we are out and about, but duty calls and so we are grateful to be the right people to be next to you when that happens," Peter expressed. The woman also hoped to participate in another marathon after her recovery. She wished that Christie could run the same with her. "I think from now on it's just going to be the 5K."
The woman had no previous history of heart problems. When Kim was taken to the hospital, Christie wasn't the one who told her that she was the one who saved Kim's life. "I don't think so. I didn't want to make it awkward," Christie admitted. "I just praise god that she was there. God had my angels there and there she was," Kim went on. The woman picked the couple for her care even though she lived in another area, as she trusted them. Christie had agreed to run the next marathon with Kim as well.
Basic lessons in health and safety can come in handy for people with no medical background as well. In another story, a teen was able to save his stepdad's life after he went into cardiac arrest. The 15-year-old boy, Anthony Killinger, was able to perform CPR on his stepdad, Michael Reese, after he experienced a medical emergency, per Good Morning America. The teen noticed that something was amiss with Reese and stepped in to help. He had recently learned how to administer CPR in his health class. "For someone of his age to step up and act in such a fashion when there's a medical emergency, that's a hard thing to do and he took it upon himself and stepped up. And luckily, I'm here today because of him," Reese expressed.