Dead For 40 Minutes: Cranford's 'Bob The Builder' Bounces Back

CRANFORD, NJ - Robert Byrnes went from playing on the guitar and singing to falling over and dying. And according to best estimates, he was dead for 40 minutes.

The 48-year-old Cranford man and local business owner known as "Bob the Builder" suffered sudden death syndrome, according to his sister Tara Byrnes. Byrnes said her brother is on the road to recovery now, but initially was rushed to Beth Israel Hospital in critical condition. He was placed on a ventilator and put into a medically induced coma. Byrnes said her brother was put in a form of hypothermia in order to protect his brain and organs while they tried to figure what was going on.

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is a loosely defined umbrella term for a series of cardiac syndromes that cause sudden cardiac arrest and possibly death, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"My son, his nephew Frank, administered CPR until the paramedics came," she said. "They worked on him for 20 minutes before they could get his heart started again."

Tara Byrnes told Patch her brother has a construction company SRM construction. He is a master carpenter and works for Local 59 IATSE AND IATSE local 52. He is a union member in good standing. And it was through his work he earned his unusual moniker.

"As a stagehand the guys are always giving each other nicknames and Bob the Builder fit perfectly. He is also a Freemason and a past master at William F. Burke Lodge which is now Fulton Friendship lodge," Tara Byrnes said. "He does a lot of work in the movie industry as a master carpenter."

Recently, "Bob the Builder" worked on the Martin Scorsese mobster epic "The Irishman" which premiered on Netflix last Wednesday.

Robert Byrnes grew up in Cranford until age 12 and moved back about three years ago with his 37-year-old wife Marivic and 17-year-old son Max, who is autistic and eight-year-old daughter Natalie. According to Tara Byrnes, her brother is the family's sole support and is in need of financial assistance. To that end, she has started a GoFundMe account to cover the anticipated $40,000 they will need to last through the long recovery.

"By calculating what he will receive in disability and subtracting that from the families monthly bills and figuring the difference, $40,000 will cover them for a one-year recovery," she said.

Since launching the initial fundraiser, which has gather over $3,000 thus far, Byrnes said that her brother emerged from the coma and posted video.

"Right now he has been steadily improving. He is able to nod yes and no and is making eye contact, they were able to take him off the catheter as well. He is still on the vent while his lungs heal. He suffered a puncture to his lung from CPR," Tara Byrne told Patch. "He was dead for about 40 minutes. His recovery is a true miracle."

On the fundraiser page there were many well-wishers who referenced Byrne's musical prowess.

"Robbie, you have to play for us on your guitar one more and more. We will be happy to hear your beautiful loud voice," Nikolay Vyalykh said.

Byrne noted that her brother loves music and plays many different instruments. His favorite has always been the guitar.

"He taught his nephew, my son, to play," Tara Byrne said.

Others on the page said they knew the Byrne family for many years.

"I will always cherish all the memories I have of your brother and your entire family," Deanna Napolitano said. "My prayers are with all of you. May the Lord heal your brother completely."

Tara Byrne noted that since her brother's episode there has been an outpouring of love and support that has been overwhelming.

"We have received so much support from family, friends and even strangers," she said. "We really want to be able to raise enough for him to be able to take the time to recover without the stress of how bills will be paid."

Those who wish to help can visit the fundraiser page.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.