NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — With his back on the floor of a restaurant and his heart stopped, Ken Hogan says his spirit was somewhere else – reuniting with his grandparents in one of the happiest experiences of his life that was almost his last.
Hogan was eating breakfast with his wife and daughter at Kettle & Grille in Marlton last year when he suffered a heart attack. He was unconscious for about 30 minutes and medics used the defibrillator on him nine times to finally get his heart started again.
“When I was away, wherever I was, I saw my grandparents and I was as happy as I can recall ever being,” Hogan said. “We were laughing, we were joking, I just couldn’t believe it. And then, all the sudden, my grandmother says, ‘Kenny, you have to leave us now.’”
Hogan left his grandparents' presence and was brought back to life by Tim and Jackie Curtis, a former EMT and former lifeguard, who were enjoying breakfast at the restaurant when Hogan’s heart stopped. They immediately jumped into action with CPR, pumping to the beat of the Bee Gees song, “Stayin Alive.”
“I kind of picked him up right out of the booth and we went straight down and started performing two-person CPR right away,” Tim Curtis said.
A person from the restaurant said all they can remember from that day is an EMT or paramedic coming out of nowhere, sliding across the floor, having the AED device ready to go and pads on Hogan before they could even blink.
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Hogan says he fell into a deep depression after this, wanting to revisit his grandparents. It took a while for him to feel worthy of being saved, but now he’s expressing just how thankful he is for Tim, Jackie and everyone who helped him recover.
“You afforded me the opportunity to see my first grandchild in a couple of months,” Hogan said. “Don’t know if I could ever measure up, but all I have to offer you at this moment is a thank you to everyone.”
He is still not 100%, but did return to work on Jan. 3 because he says he got tired of sitting around watching TV.
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Jackie said being able to see Hogan smiling back at them left her almost speechless.
“He’s been on my mind since that day and it’s so nice to see him,” she said.
Doctors at Virtua Hospital say 90% of heart attacks outside of a hospital result in death, which is why they will be offering community CPR courses in the coming months so more people can help when needed.