MEL Boyd has not looked back since suffering from a heart attack 18 months ago.
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The Kennington resident is an avid bowler, competing three times a week and training, while he also helps his son-in-law run a butcher business.
"On windy days I get short of breath but other than that it hasn't held me back," he said.
"In fact you could probably say it has given me another attitude on life. I want to enjoy it."
Mr Boyd is one of many cardiac arrest survivors who maintain their independence and have a good quality of life 12 months on, a study has found.
In fact you could probably say it has given me another attitude on life.
- Mel Boyd
The Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry study followed the fortunes of 927 patients discharged from hospital following a cardiac arrest.
It found almost 72.7 per cent of survivors were living at home without care, while about 74.2 per cent of those working at the time of their arrest were back at work.
Mr Boyd spent almost three weeks in hospital in Melbourne and Bendigo, and six weeks of rehabilitation.
He was in a coma for five days and his family were told he might never regain his memory.
He said he had worked hard to lose weight and change his diet since the heart attack.
"A lot of it is because the support of my wife," he said.
"She makes sure that I generally eat. Not that we used to eat badly but she just makes sure."
Ambulance Victoria research and evaluation manager and lead researcher Karen Smith said outcomes for cardiac arrest survivors compared favourably to the rest of the population.
"This study shows us that most people who survive cardiac arrest continue to lead meaningful lives post arrest," she said.
"Interestingly, while most respondents in our study rated their post-arrest quality of life as lower than prior to the arrest, almost 20 per cent suggested they had an improved quality of life.
"This highlights the dynamic nature of patients’ perception of this concept over time."
Brother Geoff Boyd said Mr Boyd had a new approach to life following the heart attack.
"He is more jovial then he ever was," he said.