"I was a healthy, active 68-year-old, sitting in my home office when I went into cardiac arrest," recalls Larry Gammon. "Thankfully, my wife has rabbit ears and heard me moan. She immediately called the Bedford Fire Department, who dispatched a rescue team that revived me and got me to the CMC emergency room. Only 8% of people who have the type of attack I had survive, so I'm incredibly lucky to be here."
The CEO of Easterseals for 35 years, Larry managed an expansive organization covering six states and employing over 2,200 people. Despite his busy schedule and responsibilities, he maintained a healthy, active lifestyle until an unexpected event changed his life.
Larry's survival is nothing short of a miracle, thanks to a mechanical chest compression machine known as a LUCAS device. "Ironically, one of the reasons I am here is because the department used a LUCAS device, recently donated to them by CMC! It allowed CPR to continue while they got me down my stairs and into the van."
Reflecting on the events leading up to his cardiac arrest, Larry notes, "Prior to that moment, I never experienced any pain. I did notice that when I ran on the treadmill, I went from three miles down to about a half mile before I was tired. I didn't do anything about that. I wish I had...then I could have gone and had a stent put in, and that would have been the end of it!"
A poignant moment came when Larry’s wife returned home after the incident. "When my wife returned home and went to my office, she saw where they had cut my clothes off me. I had been working on my computer when the attack happened, and when she touched the mouse, the screen I had been viewing was WebMD symptoms of a heart attack! I don't remember any of that."
"In the ICU, my life was saved by an experienced trauma team, and that's where I first met Dr. Robert Capodilupo ('Dr. Cap')," Larry recalls. "He called me a miracle man!"
Larry's recovery journey under the care of Dr. Capodilupo, Executive Medical Director of CMC's New England Heart & Vascular Institute, is best summed up by Dr. Capodilupo himself: “Larry's recovery is not just about surviving, but thriving against all odds.”
Larry's story took a positive turn with the excellent care he received. "There is good news...medical treatments are now so highly specialized, and the care I received post-heart attack, including the ablations, was so good that at 80, I can do everything I did in my 40s. Nothing has to change."
Nowadays, Larry enjoys an active lifestyle. "I'm an outdoor walker now...rain or shine, summer or winter. I walk with Mike Salter, and a couple of friends, three to four times a week, and do light weights. I love exercising in the outdoors."
Larry holds Dr. Capodilupo in the highest regard. "Dr. Cap is a lifesaver. He cares so much about people. He gives me his 100% undivided attention and is totally focused on me when he sees me for an appointment."
Dr. Capodilupo's encouragement has been invaluable to Larry. "He is very positive and supportive. I have had a couple of other specialists from non-heart related services who I see for routine screenings tell me that I no longer have to do them because I'm too old. I found that discouraging! Dr. Cap says in cardiology, we don't give up on you! We treat you aggressively up through your 90s, for which I'm so grateful. He inspires confidence in me."
Larry’s journey from a sudden cardiac arrest to a vibrant, active lifestyle at 80 is a testament to the exceptional care he received and his determination to live life to the fullest. "I am so grateful," says Larry. "I'm happy to help spread the word about the wonderful, dedicated staff at CMC."
Learn more about cardiovascular care at CMC.