Man's Heart Stops 19 Times And Is Revived By A Team Of People

WAKEFIELD, NH — What started as a birthday celebration for Al Gray of Wakefield in May turned into a celebration of life at the Wakefield Fire/Rescue facility on Monday.

On May 22nd, Al Gray, was hired to DJ a 30th birthday party; friends, family, and members of the community attended the event. While setting up equipment, Gray collapsed according to Wanda Scott of the NH Division of Emergency Services

Partygoers immediately came to Al’s aid and called 9-1-1. NH Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunicator Kevin Chaff answered their call for help; Kevin quickly obtained the exact location from the caller of where the emergency was happening.

Carroll County Sheriff's Office was notified and an emergency response was initiated. Through Emergency Medical Dispatch protocol, Kevin provided lifesaving CPR instructions to 2 bystanders to keep the blood flowing throughout Al’s body until Wakefield Police Department and Wakefield Fire/Rescue arrived on the scene.

Wakefield Fire/Rescue transported him to the hospital. While en route to the hospital, Al’s heart stopped 9 times. After arriving at the hospital, Al’s heart stopped beating another 4 times in the emergency room and another 6 times in the heart catheterization lab.

The American Heart Association of Survival is a series of actions that, properly executed, reduce the mortality associated with sudden cardiac arrest. Like any chain, the chain of survival is only as strong as its weakest link. For Gray, the Chain of Survival came together flawlessly – community members, 9-1-1, dispatchers, responders, and hospital personnel saved his life.

NH Enhanced 9-1-1- Telecommunicator Chaff said, ‘the group of people at that party were calm and followed instructions – it was textbook.’

Al spent 6 days in the hospital on life support and was discharged from the hospital after 12 days. At Monday’s celebration, he said, ‘I don’t remember anything from that day, but I am very grateful to everyone who helped me.’ When asked if he would continue with his DJ business, he said, ‘Oh yeah, I have a wedding scheduled next month!’

Gray a 61-year-old man was ultimately deemed a 'Miracle Man.’ Gray thanked all involved including NH Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunicator Chaff, Carroll County Sheriff's Office dispatchers, Wakefield Police Department officers, and Wakefield Fire/Rescue responders.

NH Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunicator Kevin Chaff shakes hands with Al Gray who survived due to the help of Chaff and several people responding when Gray collapsed.