Us folks from the West of Scotland have a, probably well merited, reputation for being a bit ‘glass-half-empty’ types. I’d say we are simply pragmatic, but there you go.

Anyway, that all changed for me this year – I’m most definitely a ‘glass-half-full’ person now.

What’s brought on this new sense of positivity?

Well, on 25th April this year, I joined the 8% Club – that’s the percentage of people who suffer an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest, and survive!

All the subsequent tests point to this being an idiopathic attack – no rhyme or reason for it … just ‘one of these things.’

I have been very fit all my life. Other than the very occasional dose of antibiotics and paracetamol, I’ve never had to take medication; I’d never before been hospitalized other than for a minor exploratory knee operation when I played football; I still play (low league) tennis; at age sixty-four and after a forty year absence due to that pesky knee injury, I was back running 5K in 23 minutes … and getting faster; I was going to the gym twice a week and attended regular, competitive Circuits sessions.

That mattered not. It all counted for nothing when, after a short run, I drove to collect my wife from work – and it was ‘lights out.’ No warning; no sweats; no dizziness or feeling unwell.

Nothing.

As I say in my wee book (available via Amazon in UK & USA) I reckon Life, Fate and Death got their wires crossed and lines of communication, blurred.

Fortunately, they quickly sorted the confusion, and to compensate, organised an amazing series of circumstantial coincidences which led to my survival.

Thanks to my quick thinking wife, two policemen were flagged down and they dragged me from my car and performed CPR for 5 – 10 minutes. One ran to get a public access defibrillator, and I was zapped a couple of times to bring me ‘back.’

Long story short:

• I spent sixteen days between two hospitals;
• Several ribs were broken during CPR and I had to sleep in a sitting position for eight weeks;
• had a stent inserted (precautionary only);
• I was fitted with an ICD implant (my own defibrillator inserted in my chest);
• Placed on seven different meds – that’s a total nine tablets a day;
• signed off work from May until end December – though I went back in mid-July, which is another story!
• Unable to drive for at least six months – I’ve re-applied and still waiting. Seven and a half months and still waiting. 😀

Anyway – all’s good. It’s a very small price to pay, I reckon.

I’m now back playing tennis, and possibly playing better as I’ve deliberately slowed my game down; I’m allowed back in the gym albeit with a bit of a restricted routine; I’m not yet back running, though I’ve been told I should be able to return, though maybe not to the same level.

My wife and I are off to India in a few weeks and, yeah … Life Is Good!

Now where’s my half-full glass of beer? 😉

**(My book is a positive and upbeat, amusing yet emotional, true account of how I coped with the trauma – a very happy trauma, I should say 😉 – of beating death.)**