Pennsylvania man defies 5% odds after heart attack on hike, builds lasting bond with care team
By Morrissey Walsh
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YORK, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — A Susquehanna Valley man was given a 5% chance of survival after collapsing from a sudden heart attack while hiking. The York County man beat those odds and ended up with quite the story to tell while forming new friendships along the road to recovery.
“There was a lot of people that helped save my life,” said George Taylor, who survived a heart attack while hiking in a York County park in the fall of 2023.
“I was almost done; we were pretty close to the finish. I said, I feel faint. So I sat down, and I got up and I just collapsed,” Taylor said.
The friend Taylor was hiking with jumped in to start CPR, while the paramedics rushed to the scene. The rescue effort faced an unusual challenge when paramedics arrived.
“When they showed up, they stopped on a yellow jacket nest, and everyone got stung. Two of the paramedics were actually treated for anaphylactic shock,” Taylor said.
Doctors discovered that Taylor’s carotid arteries were nearly completely blocked, requiring open-heart surgery. That day, he was given just a 5% chance of survival.
“The doctors told the people, told my friends, that I wasn’t going to survive. They told them, call my kids, have them come because this might be the last time they see their father,” Taylor said.
But Taylor pulled through, beating the odds.
“I told everyone the day afterwards, I’m going to do an Ironman. I’ll be fine,” said Taylor.
After months of cardiac rehabilitation and physical therapy, Taylor made a full recovery. Taylor doesn’t have family in the area, but over the course of treatment, he was able to form some special bonds with his care team.
“We were out for a stroll, and George plucked one of the tomatoes off the tomato plant, which we’ll have patients work with and stuff. And he popped it in his mouth; he wanted to see how it was,” WellSpan physical therapist Julia O’Donnell said.
Taylor and O’Donnell bonded over tomatoes in the WellSpan patient garden, a bond that is still going strong.
“Oftentimes, you see your patients, they go home, and then if they’re not following up within WellSpan or nearby, you don’t see them, or almost, you know, by chance, in the community. But it’s nice to be able to get to see the full circle and see people get back to their life,” O’Donnell said.
Originally from Connecticut, Taylor now calls York County home, a decision influenced in part by the care he received. “You know, I want to live a long time, and I intend to,” Taylor said.
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