You could say my annual Super Bowl Sunday viewing this year did not go as planned. On my way to Meijer to buy snacks for our friends’ get-together, I suddenly lost consciousness and crashed into a house. Cardiac arrest… that was not part of the plan.

I would not be alive today if it weren’t for a long list of dedicated, highly trained, and deeply caring people. Each one entered my life exactly when I needed them most, and I am eternally grateful.

I had no pulse, yet the Washtenaw County sheriff’s officers, Scio Township firefighters, and Huron Valley EMS paramedics refused to give up on me. For more than 16 minutes they performed CPR and delivered six shocks to restart my heart.

Next came the team at the U-M Cardiac ICU—amazing professionals I will never be able to remember—who stabilized me and cared for me until I woke up. Then the cardiology team figured out how to “revascularize” my heart with multiple stent procedures and implanted a defibrillator to protect me going forward. Finally, the wonderful staff in cardiac rehab encouraged me to lose weight, rebuild my strength, and change my eating habits. Thanks to them, I’m down more than 30 pounds and still going.

After returning home from more than three weeks in the hospital, I researched what had happened. I was stunned to learn that only less than 10% of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive—and an even smaller percentage maintain their cognitive abilities. I am profoundly blessed to be functioning, mentally and physically, at nearly the same level as before that day.

I consider myself the recipient of a miracle. God sent these extraordinary people into my life at just the right moment to give me a second chance. My mission now is to share my story, encourage others to take charge of their health, and express heartfelt thanks to those who dedicate their lives to helping people like me in our greatest moments of need.