Stroke survivor Barbara Bartels. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Borsuk) Barbara Bartels and a friend were catching up over coffee on a Sunday morning in August. They’d met up at a café not far from Bartels’ home in Santa Cruz, California. As an artist and a bit of a self-professed hermit, Bartels didn’t socialize much beyond…
Cardiac arrest survivor and lacrosse player Peter Laake. (Photo courtesy of Gwin Photography) On April 16, 2021, Peter Laake was a starting freshman defender for his prep school’s varsity lacrosse team. He’d had a good year, and now his team was playing a key rival on home turf in Towson, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb. The…
Cardiac arrest survivor Sarah Katzenmaier in the zombie costume she wore the day she collapsed in a parade during her city’s annual Halloween “Thriller” event. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Katzenmaier) A week before Halloween 2021 and five days before her 68th birthday, Sarah Katzenmaier slipped into a royal blue bridesmaid dress and carefully applied her…
Cardiac arrest and heart attack survivor Christi Eberhardt (right) with her daughter, Emily. (Photo courtesy of Christi Eberhardt) As a child life specialist in the emergency room of a children’s hospital, Christi Eberhardt spent a Wednesday morning getting kids comfortable with their upcoming procedures. She showed them IVs and other surgical equipment. Around midday, Eberhardt,…
Cardiac arrest survivor Ken Walsh (left) with his wife, Nicole, and dog, Indiana. (Photo courtesy of the Walsh family) On a Friday morning in late February, Ken Walsh and his wife, Nicole, sat on their couch in East Brunswick, New Jersey, having coffee and talking about weekend plans. Their dog, Indiana, a 6-month-old Australian Shepherd…
ER nurse manager and cardiac arrest survivor Laura Rodriguez. (Photo courtesy of Laura Rodriguez) Lea en español Laura Rodriguez felt dizzy after dropping off her 5-year-old daughter for one of the first days of kindergarten. Then she began sweating as she walked the halls of the elementary school in Arlington, Texas. This made no sense….
Heart attack survivor Eddie Garcia. (Photo courtesy of Buggsy Malone) Lea en español Eddie Garcia juggled roles as the chief of staff for an elected official and the president of a school board. The positions seemed to be wearing him down. At 46, he felt short of breath, his neck was sore and he had…