From: Heartwire

W|thout that mach|ne I was gone I was f|n|shed It was over

uon McCulnn



W|thout that mach|ne I was gone I was f|n|shed It was over
laylng waLer volleyball ln a hoLel pool uon McCulnn suddenly wenL face down ln cardlac arresL Culck
Lhlnklng frlends admlnlsLered C8 Lo no apparenL avall Pls docLors laLer called lL venLrlcular Lachycardla
uon called lL llghLs ouL My frlends had been klddlng me abouL maklng Lhe young guys look bad uon
McCulnn sald l sald you know lm old buL lm noL dead yeL And wlLhln 10 seconds l was l wenL up
Lhey Lell me Lo splke a ball and came down face down ln Lhe pool
lew people expecLed such a Lhlng Lo happen Lo uon a selfdescrlbed neerdowell grandfaLher a
former Marlne and a Lough man who blew sLress LesLs ouL of Lhe Lub AL 68 as vlgorous as ever
en[oylng success as a novellsL uon walked Lhree mlles on mosL days and swam ofLen
Don never had any symptoms
Pe also llfLed welghLs and goL regular checkups LhaL showed hlm he was ln excellenL healLh Pls
cholesLerol was low Pls famlly showed some hlsLory of hearL problems buL uon never had any
sympLoms 1hen came Lhe waLer volleyball game he wlll remember for Lhe resL of hls llfe AfLer 13
mlnuLes of C8 a pollceman arrlved wlLh an auLomaLed exLernal deflbrlllaLor 1he offlcer had only
recenLly been Lralned wlLh Lhe deflbrlllaLor and had never used lL ln an emergency
laced on hls chesL Lhe deflbrlllaLor auLomaLlcally analyzed hls hearL rhyLhm and lnsLrucLed Lhe pollce
offlcer Lo dellver Lhe slngle shock LhaL broughL McCulnn back Lo llfe Cne shock was all lL Look
1he po||ceman used the def|br|||ator for the f|rst t|me
WlLhouL LhaL machlne l was flnlshed uon sald 1he pollceman used Lhe Lhlng for Lhe flrsL Llme so l
have Lo Lhlnk lLs foolproof lLs readlng whaLs golng on ln Lhere and Lelllng Lhe guy
1haLs Lhe mlracle of lL sald hls wlfe Carol because lf Lhe machlne doesnL read LhaL lLs a real cardlac
arresL lL wlll noL go off AfLer a brlef recovery perlod and even more rlbblng from frlends uon reLurned
Lo llfe as usualwlLh some changes 1hese days hes cuL down on drlnklng Lhough he sLlll vlslLs bars Lo
Lalk wlLh frlends Pes worklng on hls 10Lh novel and sLlll aLLendlng wrlLers conferences 1he Lhlng hes
mosL graLeful for ln llfe ls Lhe facL LhaL he has lL
l Lhlnk lve grown a llLLle more lnLrospecLlve a llLLle more senslLlve uon says And l know from my
own reacLlons lve become more sympaLheLlc l Lhlnk my emoLlons are perhaps a llLLle more closer Lo
Lhe surface Lhan Lhey ever were ln my llfe before
l donL feel LhaL lm supposed Lo do anyLhlng excepL Lake very close accounL of my own llfe now 1haLs
whaL lLs all abouL l en[oy Lhe hell ouL of belng allve and l lnLend Lo work aL lL as long as l can draw a
breaLh