CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 40 seconds an American suffers a heart attack, but the average person waits three hours before seeking help.
Prompt medical attention reduces the risk of permanent damage and death.
Igor Molina had just finished his morning oatmeal when he suddenly noticed he wasn’t feeling well.
“I go to the second floor and vomit the food. This is not good for me. It’s very strange,” Molina recalled.
Dr. Gary Lai, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Broward Health Coral Springs, says “a lot of times people just write it off as indigestion or something more minor than that, but we really have to take those symptoms seriously and in consideration.”
Fortunately, Molina did, driving himself to nearby Broward Health Coral Springs.
Security camera footage shows him collapsing from a heart attack just moments after walking through the door.
“This is real-life footage of someone having a heart attack,” Lai said. “He clutched his chest, he went unconscious on the floor.”
The timing was crucial.
“We were able to get him up into the treatment area to identify what was going on and get him up there quickly where they could identify the coronary artery that was blocked and intervene from there,” Lai said.
Because of his history of hypertension, Molina has changed some of his lifestyle habits and is embracing his chance for what he calls “a new life.”
“I’m very, very happy,” Molina said. “I am a lucky man.”