EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Product Description A Second Chance: Surviving Sudden Cardiac Death exposes the need for a more heart-health aware society through one man's remarkable near-death experience. It was a cold January morning in the skies over Minnesota when, suddenly, in an airplane at 30,000 feet, Patrick Emmett felt a discomfort in his chest, then a numbness in his hands and pain in his right shoulder. The flight attendant asked if he needed assistance, and then he collapsed into a sudden cardiac arrest and died on the spot. Only through the quick thinking of airline personnel and two passengers on the plane were they able to get Pat out of his seat to administer CPR, and eventually deliver a shock from an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). A Second Chance: Surviving Sudden Cardiac Death looks at the dramatic events that led up to Pat's sudden cardiac arrest and the struggles with recovery after the event. Pat tells a compelling story to encourage readers to change their current lifestyles and to become actively involved with providing information to the public about heart health and sudden cardiac death. In the United States alone, nearly 400,000 people collapse from sudden cardiac arrest each year. Only 6% of them are rescued. The ratio of saves can be dramatically improved with public awareness, testing, and placement of AEDs in all public places. A Second Chance: Surviving Sudden Cardiac Death also has a medical quick reference guide to wade through the many medical acronyms and the jargon common when referring to heart disease. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in heart health and saving lives.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 1 review)
Living Life After Surving Sudden Cardiac Death Many authors write to achieve personal recognition and/or wealth; however, it is evident that the primary motivation of Patrick W. Emmett, the author of A Second Chance, is the desire to save lives. Although he tells his own dramatic story of being a sudden cardiac death survivor, he also educates readers about heart disease, explaining how certain lifestyle changes can give them added and healthier years. It had been a stressful morning for Patrick Emmett when a flight delay from Kansas City nearly caused him to miss his Minneapolis connection, but nothing could have prepared him for what was ahead--his own death. While in the air over Minnesota, he stopped breathing and slipped into darkness. Today he realizes that he owes his life to those first responders on the airplane--and also to many other professionals--who worked diligently to give him a second chance. If there had not been an automatic external defibrillator (AED) aboard the airplane, the pilot, appropriately named Peter Paul, who turned the plane around to make an emergency landing at a local Minneapolis airport, would have done so for a dead man. When a person's heart stops beating, curious people always ask, "What happened while you were dead? What did you see and experience?" The author covers this subject in one chapter of the book, letting readers know that he definitely believes there is a God. He writes with honesty and does not suggest that his after-death experience is the only one that is credible; however, his story has many similarities to others. Mr. Emmett, after coming across an old book that was used to instill values in scout troops, realizes that he needs to have a list of similar survival skills for himself. The list is a valuable tool for all victims of sudden cardiac arrest as well as for those who suffer from the aftermath of any type of serious health problem. After discussing the importance of survivors connecting with other survivors, readers are provided with additional information on the subject of post-medical depression. Years ago, after my brother-in-law had bypass heart surgery, he went through a long period of depression. There are many ways I believe this book, had it been available, could have helped him get through those difficult times. The author addresses the subject of coping with lifestyle changes, emphasizing that patients must follow their doctors' advice in regard to exercise and dieting. There are additional stories of other survivors of sudden cardiac arrest included in A Second Chance; the ages of the individuals vary as does their particular circumstances; however, they all survived because someone intervened on their behalf. Readers are reminded by Mr. Emmett that the survival rate of sudden cardiac death is between five to seven percent, and he wants all of us to work together to increase this percentage--to save more lives. How do we do this? Patrick W. Emmett suggests that this can be done through involvement in community projects, working with foundations, forming and participating in support groups, etc. He suggests that readers contact their elected officials, asking that automatic external defibrillators be placed in public places where they are ready for emergency use. Of course, all of us should take courses on administering CPR. I personally was interested in a procedure called "Call and Pump." A resource for this procedure, as well as other references and website addresses, are all provided at the end of the book. There is also a quick-reference guide of medical definitions, showing the extent of research that went into writing this book. I have a picture of my grandmother--my dad's mother--sitting on a tree stump in the woods near her home. She is a beautiful woman, dressed in a long dress, with her brown hair flowing to her waist. She died when she was 32 from a heart attack; how I wish that it had been possible at that time for her to have a second chance. It is a pleasure for me to recommend this book as a "must read." It is well-written, intriguing, educational, and easy to understand. Above all, it is a call to action. September 27, 2008