HOUSTON – When 75-year-old Jerome Happ experienced a sudden heart attack at his home in November, his grandson, Christopher Giles, quickly sprang into action.
Giles is an Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in the Scouts.
Even though he learned CPR in Scouts 10 years ago, he knew what he needed to do when the time came.
“I wasn’t out there waiting for this day to happen. It just sort of was there (and) when I needed it, I called upon it,” Giles said.
When EMS arrived, Happ was rushed to HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood where he was diagnosed with heart failure and a blood clot in the lung. He was immediately taken into surgery where doctors implanted a brand-new device called the Impella RP Flex.
“The Impella was put in my neck up, and what it does is it relieves the right side of your heart and it makes it heal faster,” Happ said.
He became the third patient to ever have the device implanted.
On Tuesday, Jerome and Christopher agreed this remarkable recovery has made their bond even stronger than before.