Ashley Goette, a soon-to-be mother, awoke at 5 a.m. She urged her husband, who appeared to be snoring, to go to the bathroom. Ashley hurried to retrieve his asthma medication after Andrew produced a frightening gurgling sound.
Ashley dialed 911 and told the dispatcher she thought she needed to do CPR because his only response was gasping for oxygen.
The dispatcher confirmed Andrew was in cardiac arrest after a few inquiries and instructed Ashley on how to perform CPR. Andrew's heart was shocked back to life by paramedics after she continued compressions for five minutes until aid came.
Andrew was placed in a medically induced coma at the hospital to protect his brain and allow his body to rest and mend. His brain was substantially swollen, according to an MRI and CT scan.
As the medical team investigated more into Andrew's medical history, they discovered that he had suffered a heart attack caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Electrical pathways in the heart can be affected by this condition. Andrew's heart condition was confirmed by an ECG.
Andrew was questioned if he remembered his name, the last holiday of the year, and who was president by the nurses. He answered all of the questions correctly. They then inquired as to whether he was aware that he and Ashley were expecting a child. He did.
Ashley was preparing to deliver their son at that hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, after a change in plans. Ashley labored for 22 hours before physicians said she needed a cesarean section, so the staff moved Andrew's hospital bed to the labor and delivery room. Ashley's sister used FaceTime to let Andrew view the birth from the surgery room.
Andrew's cardiac rhythm abnormality was corrected before he left the hospital by cauterizing the additional electrical pathways in his heart. Doctors also gave him a vest-like gadget to wear at home in case he needed an electric shock to stop a dangerous heart rhythm. According to a test, Andrew's heart was fine three months later. Since that day in October 2018, he hasn't experienced a heart problem.
He and Ashley are currently volunteering for a heart association in Minnesota to campaign for legislation that would require all 911 operators to be trained to coach callers through CPR while they wait for aid.
"He would have died for sure if the person on the phone had told me I simply needed to sit tight and wait for help to arrive," Ashley added.
Source: