Man Rescued After Cardiac Arrest While Swimming at Fire Island

Dramatic Rescue on Fire Island

• 🏊 A 65-year-old man, Wally Smith, vacationing from Michigan, went into cardiac arrest while swimming at Fair Harbor, Fire Island.
• 🆘 His sons immediately pulled him from the water, initiating a chain of life-saving efforts.

Lifeguard and EMT Intervention

• ⚡ Lifeguard Mary Kaplan administered the first of six defibrillator shocks to revive Wally.
• 🤝 A team of lifeguards from the town of Islip worked to keep Wally alive until emergency crews arrived.
• 🚑 Suffach County emergency crews and a group of vacationing ER nurses provided critical care.

Medical Diagnosis and Recovery

• 🏥 Wally was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he remained unconscious for 15 hours.
• ❤️ Doctors determined he did not have a heart attack but suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, a leaky valve, and ventricular arrhythmia.
• 🛠️ He underwent surgery to implant a subcutaneous defibrillator.

Gratitude and Survival Odds

• 🙏 Wally expressed profound gratitude to the lifeguards, EMTs, nurses, and hospital staff who saved his life.
• 📈 He noted that he had a 6% chance of surviving the ordeal.