LA Marathon Runner Reunites with Firefighters Who Saved His Life

A man who suffered cardiac arrest during the Los Angeles Marathon was reunited today with fire department personnel and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center staff credited with saving his life.

Chuck Gold, 61, was stricken and collapsed during the March 15 race, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“Our crew reacted in seconds and helped turn tragedy into joy, proving once again that early cardiac defibrillation saves lives,” LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said. “I am thrilled to be able to shake Chuck’s hand today and look forward to seeing him out on the course again next year.”

Gold expressed his gratitude to the firefighters, paramedics, doctors and nurses who saved him.

“It came to my attention that this type of event is rarely survived and their quick work is the reason that I was able to recover,” he said. “I’ve been back to my running, albeit a little more slowly, a little more cautiously.”

Dr. Mark Morocco, associate clinical professor and emergency room physician at the hospital, called Gold “the luckiest man in Los Angeles this morning.”

“If Mr. Gold had had this event happen in bed, the outcome would have been much different,” Morocco said.

Paramedics’ ability to defibrillate and shock the man’s heart back into a normal rhythm within a minute or two of him having cardiac arrest likely saved his life, Morocco said.

City News Service

Photo By Reed Hutchinson courtesy of UCLA