A Perfect Catastrophe For Man In Cardiac Arrest, Dangling From Roof In Cape May
CAPE MAY, N.J (CBS)--Brendan McBride says surviving a heart attack is one miracle, but the set of circumstances surrounding his attack made for somewhat of a perfect catastrophe.
It happened in early March while he was repairing the roof of Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Cape May.
"At one point they asked me if I was alright and they said I just grabbed my chest and mumbled a couple expletives and fell backwards onto the cedar shake roof that we had just finished," says McBride.
A co-worker dashed over and caught him by his sweatshirt.
As he dangled off the roof, another man lowered him to the ground, who happened to be a former EMT and immediately began CPR.
When they called 911 a Cape May ambulance equipped with a defibrillator happened to be just three blocks away.
Brendan's brother, Jim McBride, sees no other explanation than divine intervention.
"The right people were there at the right time and knew what to do and acted – gave my brother every opportunity to come back to us," says Jim McBride.
Brendan had to stay in a medically induced coma for 36 hours. Friends and family ask if he saw a white light or heard from God.
He says, "Not exactly, but when I did come to, I had an overwhelming, euphoric feeling of love."
The father of three has new lease on life especially for raising up his 5-year-old son Desmond.
According to a GoFundMe page setup to help with Brendan's costs, doctor say he may have to wait one year (if not more) to go back to work.
His family says he may also have to wait three to six months to start to getting disability benefits.
To learn how you can help Brendan CLICK HERE.
