Man rescued after going into cardiac arrest while swimming at Fire Island during beach vacation
STONY BROOK, Long Island (WABC) -- A man vacationing on Long Island is sharing his harrowing story after a beach day nearly ended in tragedy.
Wally Smith was pulled from the waters off Fire Island on Sunday after suffering a medical emergency. Lifeguards and EMS struggled to revive him, and it wasn't until 15 hours later that he finally regained consciousness.
"It's a life-changing event, and I think I was literally dead for about six minutes," Smith said.
Smith is grateful beyond words that he's still around to tell his incredible story.
It started Sunday with picture-perfect waves at Fair Harbor on Fire Island. The 65-year-old Smith was vacationing from Michigan, watching his boys on their boogie boards.
"Next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital," Smith said.
A lot happened in between. Smith went into cardiac arrest.
"So, both of us rush over there, and it's like, shaking him, 'Dad, dad, dad,'" said Smith's son Scott Smith.
His sons pulled him right out, and they were the first of many who proceeded to make a miracle happen.
Mary Kaplan was the lifeguard who gave Wally Smith the first of six shocks with a defibrillator to bring him back. A whole team of lifeguards from the Town of Islip kept Smith alive until Suffolk County emergency crews took over.
"It seemed like it was 20 minutes, but if felt a lot longer than what we were there for," said Town of Islip lifeguard Steve Hourigan.
There also happened to be a group of ER nurses vacationing on the beach.
"There's a lot of good things that happened in the right place. Angels everywhere on the beach," said Smith's wife Kris Guccione.
Smith was taken by medical helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital late Sunday, but his wife says he didn't wake up until 15 hours later, on Monday. She also says the medical team kept his body cold, to prevent organ damage.
They also began to figure out what happened, because it wasn't a heart attack.
"There are no blocked arteries, and then further workup reveals that he has what we call a 'dilated cardiomyopathy,' a large and weak heart," said Dr. On Chen of Stony Brook Heart Institute.
They said Smith also has a leaky valve and ventricular arrhythmia, and so the 65-year-old had a brief surgery.
A few days later, you would never know how close a call it was, except for the gratitude shown from the cardiac patient.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
