Miracle man dies 3 times

AN EMOTIONAL Alan Sharkie yesterday told The Advertiser he has local medical staff to thank for saving his life after he died three times last week.The 64-year-old Heathcote South man survived three cardiac arrests on August 27.It started off an ordinary Wednesday, with jobs to tend to on his farm.While building a fence on the property he accidentally cut the telephone cable and went back to the house to tell his wife Sandra.‘‘He then fell into a heart attack,’’ Sandra said.‘‘I grabbed for his mobile and to my dismay it kept saying call ended.‘‘I grabbed for my mobile, but because I have not been using it, the credit had lapsed.‘‘There was nothing for it but for me to sprint down the steep rocky hill to our nearest neighbour and cry for help.’’ A Heathcote paramedic arrived shortly later and had to revive Alan with a defibrillator after he suffered a cardiac arrest.’ ‘I was screaming,’’ Sandra said.‘‘You can actually see the person leaving, he was dying in front of my very eyes.‘‘I knew he was dead, but the ambulance man had dragged him back.’’ Alan was taken by ambulance to Bendigo Health, where he arrested again in the emergency department.’‘ Someone called out code blue and everyone came running.’’ Staff used a defibrillator to once again save Alan’s life.He was transported to Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital via air ambulance.Midair, Alan had another cardiac arrest.‘‘They charged me again and I came back again,’’ Alan said.At St Vincent’s Hospital he had a balloon and titanium stent inserted.‘‘They also sucked out the plaque that was blocking the artery and took me up to the coronary care unit where I was very interested in what was for tea!’’ ’‘You won Tattslotto three times today,’’ a nurse said to Alan.‘‘And you hadn’t even bought a ticket.’’ Alan fought back tears as he recalled his ordeal, still stunned by his survival.‘‘If you lined 100 blokes up, who would pick the 64-year-old fat bloke to survive?’‘ Nobody would.‘‘I can only remember the pain of the heart attack, which was excruciating.‘‘I don’t remember anything about the arrest.‘‘I woke up and I thought what’s going on here?’‘ The paramedic said `you left us mate’.’’ Alan returned home from St Vincent’s hospital on Saturday, only to be admitted to Bendigo Health on Wednesday.