

Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to American Heart Association News. If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association News story, please email is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates. "My mission is to show people how effective they can be in a life-threatening situation." "I'm a textbook example of why everyone needs to be trained for CPR and have an AED within reach," Nicole said.

Both he and Ella will receive genetic testing and yearly monitoring. In January, Nicole delivered a baby boy, Brantley. However, it can be managed with medicine, the ICD and twice-a-year visits to an electrophysiologist. CPVT causes an irregular heart rhythm that can be life-threatening. She has a rare genetic mutation that can cause catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Three months after Nicole's cardiac arrest and with genetic testing, doctors finally found the cause. "She jokes that if I wanted to be friends with her, I could have found an easier way," Nicole said. She's also become so close with Boyer, the first person to give her CPR, that Boyer calls her "my soul sister." Nicole occasionally speaks at CPR and AED classes, giving would-be lifesavers the opportunity to hear from someone whose life was saved thanks to bystanders.
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"Could I have done that? The answer before was probably no because I didn't know how to do CPR or what an AED even was," said Brian, who has since taken a CPR and AED class. This happened in 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic. "They saw me literally dying and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here."īrian said he was especially impressed by the good Samaritans at the gym who didn't hesitate that day, particularly considering the timing. The Alpharetta Police Department later held an event at the gym to honor the staff, bystanders and firefighters who helped Nicole. They also were offered to watch the gym's security video footage from that day.
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Only then did they hear the full story of Nicole's collapse and treatment. They later went to the gym to deliver gift baskets and an in-person thank you. Soon after returning home, Brian had gathered the names of everyone who had helped save Nicole. The ICD would continuously monitor her heartbeat and deliver electric shocks, if needed, to restore a normal heart rhythm. Still, to prevent her heart from stopping again, they recommended placing an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, in her chest. The next day, doctors told Nicole they couldn't find what caused her cardiac arrest. It was extended proof the medical team needed that she'd come through her ordeal without any brain damage. "Yeah, of course," Nicole answered, and recited the code.
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"Do you remember your password for your phone?" "You need to call your husband," she said. A nurse came into the room shortly after. Again, it was restarted with a defibrillator.ĭoctors placed Nicole in a medically induced coma to give her brain time to heal. In the ambulance, her heart stopped again. They then transported Nicole to the hospital.

Once the paramedics took over, they delivered two more shocks and continuous CPR at the gym before finally getting a pulse and heart rate. By then, the facility's AED had been deployed twice to try restarting Nicole's heart. Firefighters arrived within six minutes from her call. Taylor Briede at the front desk immediately called 911. Class members Kim Bickerton and Eva Mills took turns helping Boyer. The fitness instructor, Phillip Thomas, a CPR and AED instructor, ran to get the gym's automated external defibrillator and had a co-worker call 911. She immediately assessed the situation and started CPR. That newcomer standing next to her? Former cardiac nurse Jen Boyer. She shook uncontrollably, foamed at the mouth and turned purple from the chest up. I'm not going to push myself today."Ī few minutes later, 37-year-old Nicole picked up a weight for the first set of workouts and collapsed.

When she arrived, she noticed a newcomer standing next to her.ĭuring the first few minutes of warmup, before the high-intensity class began, Nicole saw herself in the mirror and thought, "I look tired. She joined a late morning class at her fitness club, near her home in Alpharetta, Georgia.
