At the Bedside: Seconds away from death, heart attack patient decides to fight, survives with help from UTHealth Houston cardiologist

That Thursday morning in January started like any other as Christopher Blankenship, 47, headed into work feeling just fine. However, just a few hours into his eight-hour shift, he felt a slight discomfort between his shoulder blades. He shrugged the pain off, thinking it was a random twinge from a previous accident. But the pain intensified, and Christopher told his co-worker he needed to take a break and sit in his car.

“I walked to the parking lot, sat down in my car and was holding on to my car steering wheel, trying to stretch out my shoulder blades when I started to get dizzy,” Christopher said. “I stepped out of my car to get some air, and the next thing I remember, I was waking up on the ground next to my car.”

He didn’t know it, but a silent buildup in one of the arteries of Christopher’s heart was rupturing, and the result was a heart attack. He knew he needed help fast. He was able to gather his last bit of strength, pull himself back into his car, and call for the on-site medical team before he fell unconscious again. The team arrived, immediately began life-saving measures, and called an ambulance to get him to the nearest hospital. In flashes of consciousness, Christopher found himself in a different reality every time he woke up again.

Read the full story…

---