BOUNTIFUL- The Isom family has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Doctors say Dallin Isom, 29, survived a heart attack that would have killed almost anyone else.
Dallin’s wife, Samantha, said she woke up at 1:20 AM on the 15th and realized her husband wasn’t breathing. She called 911 and paramedics spent several long minutes performing CPR while Samantha tried to comfort the pair’s two-year old.
“I didn’t know if he was alive. Whenever they passed I would say, ‘Is he alive?’ and they would say, ‘We’re doing the best we can.'”
Finally she heard the words she was desperately waiting for:
“He’s got a heart beat.”
It was the start of a long fight for the Isoms. After so many minutes without oxygen doctors were worried Dallin would suffer major brain damage. They told Samantha that he would be under medication that would keep him asleep for up to 72 hours, and he could be very different when he woke.
“He died, pretty much. He didn’t have blood going to his brain,” Samantha said. “I’ve got a little boy on the way, and my two year-old. I just couldn’t think about my life without [Dallin].”
When he woke, Samantha says it didn’t take long before he was cracking jokes. Doctors told her by some miracle, he didn’t suffer any brain damage.
“He’s coordinated and sharp as a tack and witty. He’s just him.” Samantha said.
The family is relieved, but Samantha said her husband has a long road before him. She said he suffers from a rare heart condition that the rest of their family will now test for. He’ll have to be careful with his health and is working now through pneumonia and complications from the CPR, but Samantha said all they can think about is how lucky he is to have a second chance.
“He said I am grateful and I can’t wait to get out there and serve other people,” Samantha said. “He said he has work to do. God saved him for something. It won’t be easy, but he’ll get there.”