When Family Saves and Inspires You: Gary Schuler’s Cardiac Arrest

According to Gary’s cardiologist from Mount Carmel, Dr. Michael Velez, “Timing can make all the difference when it comes to saving someone suffering from cardiac arrest.”

Title: When Family Saves and Inspires You: Gary Schuler’s Cardiac Arrest Story

Around Thanksgiving 2020, Gary Schuler was watching his grandchildren horse around before the holiday festivities. Unfortunately, the Thanksgiving turkey would have to wait that year as Gary suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, which the American Heart Association defines as the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who has or has not been diagnosed with heart disease.

Thankfully his grandchildren were there to alert the rest of the family, which led to Gary’s immediate transportation by EMS to the Emergency Room at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s. Two weeks later, Gary woke up in the Intensive Care Unit, his last memory being his grandchildren playing. However, this would only be the start of his road to recovery and living with a heart condition.

Gary’s family and grandchildren were his motivation for overcoming the challenging aftereffects of cardiac arrest, but doctors from Mount Carmel credit them for the reason he is alive today. Gary’s seven-year-old grandson was the one who noticed he was slumped over and unconscious and alerted his parents, who jumped into action, calling 911 and performing CPR. Subsequently, saving Gary’s life long enough for paramedics and the MCHS team to stabilize him at the ER.

According to Gary’s cardiologist from Mount Carmel, Dr. Michael Velez, “Timing can make all the difference when it comes to saving someone suffering from cardiac arrest.”

Every minute a cardiac arrest victim fails to receive treatment such as CPR, the chance for a total recovery drops by as much as 7-10%. The quick actions of Gary’s family were an integral part of his recovery story, but Gary also credits immediate and ongoing care received at Mount Carmel for his recovery.

Upon his admission, the ICU team put Gary on a ventilator, which helped pump oxygen into his lungs while dispelling carbon dioxide. He spent several days intubated until his care team felt he was strong enough to breathe on his own again. The struggles didn’t stop there; Gary learned even the simplest tasks seemed impossible. But after months of physical therapy, Gary graduated from his wheelchair to his walker. Today, he’s walking independently and working out multiple times a week at Mount Carmel Cardiac Rehabilitation Westar 

According to Dr. Velez, “We can often give survivors a really good quality of life, but most people will have a difficult time recovering completely. It can take months, if not years.”

Gary continues to get stronger and says he will never consider his recovery “finished.” However, two years following his sudden cardiac arrest, Gary is back doing one of his favorite activities, golf.

What’s Gary’s advice for those going through something similar? “You’ve got to take a step back, and you can’t ever take life for granted. At the end of the day, you have to live your life with zero regrets.”

Learn more about Heart & Vascular at Mount Carmel and how they help patients throughout their journey.