Miracle Teen's Heart Beats Again

Daniel Walker was jogging around his final lap during his high school gym class when he collapsed. The 17-year-old didn't suffer from simple dehydration nor was a benign sprained ankle to blame. His flawed heart had given out on him.

Thereafter, Walker's heart stood at a standstill for days, kept beating only by a heart bypass machine. Then, through what his parents called divine intervention and to his physician's amazement, Walker's heart began to beat once again.

A recent CBS/AP report quotes Dr. Abeel Mangi, one of Walker's cardiac surgeons at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, who remarked in amazement "I've been a surgeon for 10 years, and this is probably one of the most incredible things I've ever seen."

Walker's father, William Walker, 58, a retired sanitation worker, was also quoted in the CBS/AP report, describing his son's recovery in spiritual terms. "God turned around, put His hand on my son, and recharged him."

Daniel Walker suffered from a rare congenital heart flaw that left his coronary artery pinched. This defect left him with only 10 percent of normal heart capacity. After collapsing, he awaited a heart transplant while attached to the bypass machine. But that is when Walker's heart suddenly began to beat again on its own. At that time, surgeons were able to fix the flaw in his heart and increase its capacity to 60 percent.

Walker's surgeons could not explain how or why Walker was able to recover nor why his heart was able to start beating again on its own. CBS/AP again quoted Mangi's amazement, "It's a miracle. There's really no other way to put it."

There may be good reason for Walker's surgeons to have been so amazed by his recovery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and men in the United States. In 2003 alone, 685,089 people died of heart disease, which accounted for 28% of all U.S. deaths.

An important part of surviving a heart attack is early recognition and treatment. The CDC reports that almost half of all cardiac deaths in 1999 occurred before emergency services and hospital treatment could be administered.

You can help to increase a person's chances of surviving a heart attack if you are able to recognize one of the following signs of a heart attack and act immediately by calling 9-1-1.

Major symptoms of a heart attack (as noted by the National Heart Attack Alert Program):

1. Chest discomfort. Chest discomfort is experienced during most heart attacks. This discomfort occurs in the center of the chest and either lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

2. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. This type of discomfort can include pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

3. Shortness of breath. Shortness of breath may occur during or before chest discomfort.

4. Other symptoms. Other symptoms may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or experiencing light-headedness.

Sources:
CBS News. NYC Teen's Heart Makes Miracle Comeback. February 12, 2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/12/health/main2463135.shtml. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Fact Sheet. September 9, 2006. http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/fs_heart_disease.htm. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Signs and Symptoms. February 9, 2007. http://www.cdc.gov/HeartDisease/signs_symptoms.htm. Retrieved February 12, 2007.