by Martha Tyree: Special to The Pilot

Sixty-two-year-old Roger Watson was reborn on Thursday, April 27.

Watson experienced sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). His heart stopped without warning at the FirstHealth Health and Fitness Center in Pinehurst. Unlike most victims of SCA, Watson is one of the few who lived to tell his story.

"I normally go to the gym and workout three or four times a week," says Watson. "I went in on Thursday and did my normal stretches and weights, then did 40 minutes of cardio on the crosstrainer. I finished, then came back and stretched. I laid down to do my sit-ups; that's when I passed out."

According to reports, Watson actually died for approximately two and a half minutes before being resuscitated by first responders Sandy Ritter, Michelle Blossfeld and Kathy Summers, all employees of FirstHealth.

"I was coming out of my office to do something, and there was a staff member standing over him," says Ritter. "The person just looked up at me and said ëI think we need to get some help.' He was purple, he was curled up on his side. That's when I ran down to get Kathy."

"Actually, I saw the light going in and coming out," says Watson. "Michelle was the first to get to me and started rescue breathing. Then Sandy showed up and they were doing CPR on me. Cathy continued the CPR, and when that didn't work started the defibrillator."

Ritter made use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) kept on hand at the fitness center. An AED is a small, portable device that analyzes the heart's rhythm and instructs the user to administer a defibrillation shock if determined necessary.

"All it took was one shock, and it was like his color came back," she says. "Our staff is all trained to do CPR, first aid and use the AED machine. If it hadn't have been for the fact that we are so well trained, then things could have been a lot worse. It was team work. We reacted. We got 911 called and we got the AED, and we shocked him."

According to Lifepak, makers of defibrillators, monitors and AEDs, a victim of SCA loses his or her pulse, then consciousness, and then the ability to breathe. All of this happens in a matter of seconds, and without immediate treatment from a defibrillator, 90 to 95 percent of SCA victims will die.

"From my perspective, it was like I had been in a deep sleep," says Watson. "All I remember is lying down and seeing the world turning. There was a light, it was very peaceful, and then I saw the images of faces that had been helping me. There was absolutely no pain going out, passing out, or coming back.

"There are traditional symptoms people get, and I had none of them. My mind and body had no clue what had happened. All kinds of things were happening and they weren't registering in my brain. I heard Cathy Summers say, Can you hear me, Mr. Watson?,' and I reached up and touched her face. I was comforting her and told her everything would be OK."

"It was this beautiful circle of care," says Claudia Watson, Roger's wife. "Roger was comforting the caregiver."

"He kept asking what had happened, and was he going to be all right," says Summers. "It was like he had been in a dream. We were keeping him calm and talking to him until EMS arrived. We were taking his vital signs and making sure everything was OK with him. Once EMS arrived it felt so good knowing that you did the right thing. Seeing him talking as he left allowed me to breathe a little easier."

"There were a lot of things going on in just two minutes," says Claudia Watson. "People were running from one end of the gym to the other. We are very happy that if this had to happen, it happened where it did. They all came together in such a fluid motion to help him."

Staff members at the FirstHealth Health and Fitness Center undergo ongoing training for emergency situations. Every three months emergency drills are run in conjunction with those working in cardiac rehabilitation.

"We pick a person, we have a scenario in which the person has gone down and everyone has to react, " says Summers. "That's how we make sure that everything goes as smoothly as it did."

"Stories like this just don't happen," says Claudia Watson. "We are so lucky to have the high quality of health care providers that we have in this community. Their gifts were brought to the moment to bring Roger back to me. Divine Providence, God, was there to bring all those people and pieces of equipment together. This could have happened in our backyard. EMS wouldn't have been here in time, and we would be looking at a funeral. Doctors say we are lucky. I don't feel that we are lucky, I feel that we are blessed."

"I know the good Lord had everything to do with it and I thank him first and foremost," says Roger Watson. "The team of doctors, nurses and physicians carried out his will. We had a happy ending. It's a good story for everybody. We are blessed to have the health care services and talent that we have in the area."

Dr. Allen Strunk, Dr. Nick Cavros, and Dr. Mark Landers of Pinehurst Cardiology Consultants, found two blockages in what is known as the "Widow Maker" artery in Watson's heart. He underwent angioplasty and cardiac catheterization. Two stainless steel stints were put in place to hold out the blockages, provide structural support, and open the walls of the left anterior descending artery and one of its branches. Watson was diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD), which progresses very slowly, often with no symptoms.

CAD patients often have risk factors including high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, being overweight or inactive, or having a relative with the disease.

"Genetics played a major role in what happened to Roger," says his wife. "Being in good health is key, but even if you are in good condition you may be susceptible because of your genetics. That is why it is so important to talk with your doctor if you feel any different or before starting any exercise program and if you have a family history of coronary heart disease, including high cholesterol or hypertension. There are medications that can help you. Roger was on cholesterol-reducing medicine and high blood pressure medications before this happened. We did everything we've been educated to do to lessen the risk. It still happened. You've got to be responsible for yourself and take care of yourself. We have a renewed commitment to keeping a healthy diet and lifestyle so this doesn't affect us again."

"This is a wake-up call for what's important in my life," says Roger Watson. "Evaluate how you are living your life and put what is important first, which is my belief in God and my family."

Summers is a registered nurse; Blossfeld is an exercise technologist and certified personal trainer; and Ritter is the office and training coordinator for the FirstHealth Health and Fitness Center, and is also responsible for the training and certification of all the center's staff members in CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS).

All FirstHealth Health and Fitness Center staff members are required to maintain current CPR certification, as well as certification on the use of the Automatic Electronic Defibrillator.

"This is great for the fitness center because people can come here and know that it is safe and that they will be taken care of if anything happens or goes wrong," says Summers.

"One of the core purposes of FirstHealth is to take care of the patients," says Ritter.

"There are just no words to describe what God and those three women have given me," says Claudia Watson "Roger now has a new birthday. He has a second chance at life. His new birthday is April 27, 2006."

For more information on AED and CPR certification classes call 715-1834.

Martha Tyree, a recent graduate of Appalachian State University, was recently an intern at The Pilot. Reprinted with permission, The Pilot, Southern Pines, NC