CENTRAL TEXAS (KXXV) — A heart attack can happen anywhere, and at any time.
To spread awareness and educate during Heart Awareness Month, Baylor Scott & White shared a story of their own with 25 News.
Central Texas 51-year-old father, husband, and Waco hotel general manager Ajai Patel is still recovering following a heart attack in November.
"It did catch me off guard," Patel said.
He says it happened while he was in the middle of a match for a tennis tournament fundraiser for his 14-year-old son’s school.
"I just got dizzy and light headed," Patel said.
He's not 100 percent sure about what all happened after that, but he does remember being in the back of an ambulance.
This was Patel's first heart attack, and his father had one at the same age.
Texans are no stranger to heart attacks and heart disease — heart disease is the number one killer of adults in Texas, according to the state’s health and human services department.
In fact, reports show cases of heart disease in adults increased by 23 percent between 2021 and 2022 and across the nation — risk factors are higher for people who have diabetes, are considered obese, and in some cases, people who were infected by COVID-19.
While Patel believes his heart attack could be attributed to a less than healthy diet, which he’s worked to change since the heart attack, his open-heart surgeon weighed-in on what saved his life that day on the court.
"The saving grace for Mr. Patel was a bystander that did the CPR — that was a critical moment in time because they were able to revive the patient and minimize any sort of damage or trauma to the rest of the body," said Baylor Scott & White Medical Center at Hillcrest's Director of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Dr. Richard Helmer.
"That person is truly the key to the whole thing — he died out there playing tennis."
25 News is told that person was Whitney McCullen — another tournament player’s parent and school nurse, who was recognized by the Robinson Fire Department for her bravery.
While his son did witness CPR being performed on his dad, Patel's wife was shielded from seeing it by a loved one — Patel says his wife was probably "more traumatized" than himself.
He says surviving the heart attack has given him a new outlook on life, and says he’s not sweating the small things.
Patel is thankful to everyone who helped save his life, and who showed their support for him and his family in the months after his heart attack.
"Words can’t even express our gratitude.”
He says he’s still on his journey to recovery, which includes working to regain full strength.
Follow Bobby on social media!
