LifeLite started out of the near loss of a life.
Help came late for a 48 Year old single mother and business owner. Following a long day in the Arizona heat, she went to bed feeling tired but unaware of any problems. Early the next morning she suffered spontaneous cardiac death.
This moderately healthy woman and pack a day smoker, had more than a fighting chance when her 17 year old daughter found her bluish in color with purple lips in the early morning hours. Her daughter, a high school senior and EMS Student, immediately called 911 and started CPR. She continued CPR for 18 minutes until the ambulance finally reached the house.
The patient had a hidden condition that caused a sudden electrical short circuit in her heart. Her heart needed a zap — within six minutes — from a common medical device known as a defibrillator. Her daughter could hear the ambulance coming toward the house and passing it by. She yelled for help and a neighbor flagged down the ambulance directing it toward her home. After two attempt to restart her, the emergency team finally got a response and rushed her to the hospital.
An estimated 40 minutes had passed since her last heartbeat on her own. Doctors were unsure of how she would recover and did their best to minimize any damage to her brain. Days later, on Mother’s Day, she was successfully returned from a coma yet knew nothing about what had happened. While doctors were pleased with her success, she still had suffered a minimal amount of brain damage resulting in short-term memory loss.
Like thousands of others every year, she needed help faster.
