Florida grandfather who had a heart attack while out to dinner with his family is miraculously saved after pregnant doctor and three residents dining nearby rush to his rescue
- Eddy Montero was having dinner with his daughters and grandchild when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest
- A team of doctors were nearby finishing dinner and performing CPR until paramedics arrived
- Dr. Nicole Brenner, at 35 weeks pregnant, led the response before Montero was taken to Florida Osceola Hospital
A man who suffered a heart attack while dining out with his family was miraculously saved by four doctors who were finishing a meal nearby.
Eddy Montero was visiting his daughters and meeting one of his grandchildren for the first time in Florida’s Lake Nona region when he said his “life flashed before his eyes.”
Montero began to feel dizzy and collapsed, having no idea he was going into cardiac arrest.
A doctor at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital and three residents who were packing dinner saw the man struggling and took action.
Montero, who is now recovering in hospital, told WESH2 in Spanish “An angel appeared” and saved his life.
His daughter Fabiana said she thanked God “for arriving at the right time and saving my father’s life.”
Eddy Montero (center) suffered a heart attack while dining with his family, but a team of doctors dining nearby rushed to his aid
Florida man was meeting with family in Orlando’s Lake Nona area when his ‘life flashed before his eyes’
Montero was visiting his daughters and meeting one of his grandchildren for the first time
Dr. Nicole Brenner, 35 weeks pregnant, and residents Dr. Sonia Alicea, Dr. Amanda Rivera and Dr. Suhail Saad-Omer helped Montero until paramedics arrived.
“We quickly checked the pulse, and as soon as it was determined that there was no pulse and he was in cardiac arrest, CPR was immediately initiated,” said Brenner, an internal medicine specialist with nearly a decade of experience.
‘Dr. Saad-Omer called for emergency assistance and helped identify if there was additional support in the area. Both Dr. Alicea and Dr. Rivera were both able to start CPR and take over for me because it’s a little bit of a challenge,” Brenner added as she placed a hand on her pregnant belly while laughing.
A shaky video taken outside the Turkish restaurant Bosphorus shows a crowd forming and paramedics standing by with a stretcher.
Doctors Nicole Brenner, Sonia Alicea, Amanda Rivera and Suhail Saad-Omer worked to stabilize the man until paramedics (pictured) arrived
Dr. Brenner (third from left) says the team checked for his pulse and, finding none, immediately began CPR
When Montero was taken to Florida Osceola Hospital, he happened to be assigned to Dr. Suhail Saad-Omer.
At their second meeting, the doctors hugged Montero’s family.
“It just really feels like we were meant to be there,” Brenner said.
It’s unclear what caused Montero’s heart attack, but episodes can occur suddenly, especially in older people.
Montero credited doctors with saving his life, saying in Spanish, “An angel appeared.”
Montero’s daughter Fabiana thanks God that doctors were there to help him. They reunited at Florida Osceola Hospital, where Montero happened to be assigned to Dr. Suhail Saad-Omer.
Cardiac arrest occurs when an artery that supplies blood and oxygen to the heart is blocked.
Fat deposits build up over time and form plaques in the arteries of the heart. When a plaque ruptures, a blood clot forms.
The clot blocks the arteries, restricts blood flow to the heart muscle and causes the tissue to die.
Heart attacks can be fatal if not treated immediately.