‘I died’: Man shares how recognising signs of heart attack and acting immediately ‘saved my life’

What began as a standard work morning turned into a desperate race against the clock when a professional working from home caught the early symptoms of a heart attack and saved his life in the razor-thin margin of time that separates life and death.

In a viral LinkedIn post, George Booth, a Corporate Investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area, shared his gripping firsthand account of flatlining within 19 minutes of arriving at the hospital and surviving a 100% arterial blockage.

‘I knew I was having a heart attack’

“On June 16, I Died,” George wrote, hoping his story would highlight the importance of recognising early signs of a heart attack.

In a detailed LinkedIn post, George shared that at around 11:30 am on a Tuesday, he was working from home and had just started a Zoom meeting. But he had chest pain since the day before, which he initially ignored.

However, during the meeting, he “suddenly became hot and nauseous” and the pain spread into his left armpit — “I knew I was having a heart attack.”

After realising that he had little time to act before the symptoms worsened, George “grabbed what I thought I'd need for the hospital, walked outside, sat on the sidewalk, and called 911.”

He also requested a couple of strangers to stay with him till the ambulance arrived. “As I was speaking with the dispatcher, a couple walking their dog overheard me. I asked if they would stay with me in case I lost consciousness. They didn't hesitate,” he wrote. “I'll never forget their kindness.”

‘My heart stopped’

“Just 19 minutes after arriving at the hospital, my heart stopped,” George wrote.

He said he remembered the nurses asking questions, the doctor assuring him I was in good hands, before “everything went completely dark — No pain. No fear. No sound. I was simply gone.”

“Then I began hearing loud voices. My vision slowly returned, as if I were looking through a peephole that kept getting wider. I could see a mountain of a man beside me giving everything he had while performing CPR,” he wrote. “Then I heard someone say, 'He's back.'”

George shared that he was rushed to the cath lab, where his heart stopped two more times. “Each time, they brought me back.”

In the viral post, George shared that the cardiologists placed two stents—one for a 60% blockage and another for a 100% blockage.

‘Timing saved my life’

As he lay in the ICU, George said, “One thought kept replaying in my mind: Timing saved my life.”

Noting that only 19 minutes passed between arriving at the hospital and his cardiac arrest, he said, “Had I waited at home, I would have died there.”

“Had I tried to drive or even walk the few blocks to the hospital instead of calling 911, I almost certainly wouldn't have made it,” he noted.

“Don’t wait. Don't drive. Call 911”

George said he wrote the post “because heart attacks don't always look the way people expect.”

He urged the readers to pay attention to the signs — “If you experience chest pain, pain radiating into your arm or armpit, nausea, sweating, or shortness of breath, don't wait. Don't drive yourself. Call 911.”

“Minutes matter. They saved my life. Maybe they'll save yours too,” he added.

George also shared his gratitude for the “unknown couple who stayed with me, the 911 dispatcher, paramedics, ER staff, ICU nurses, cardiologists, and everyone who refused to give up on me.”