Dan Cassidy is alive today thanks to the quick action of strangers and a defibrillator at the qplex. He suffered a heart attack on the ice during a game in February 2019. (submitted)
A regular night of men’s hockey was anything but earlier this year when Dan Cassidy had a heart attack on the ice at the qplex.
The 60-year-old was attending his regular night with the Quispamsis Moosehead Gents League on February 27th when he noticed he felt tired during his first shift on the ice.
During his second shift, he blacked out.
“I can’t really tell you a lot about what happened when I was unconscious. As time went on they told me I lost the heart rate and I was physically dead at the time. The people that were there took care of me, they brought the machine [defibrillator] over. A guy did chest compressions,” Cassidy said.
In a helpful coincidence, off-duty nurse Patti Steele was in the stands watching her boyfriend play hockey.
She was called in after Cassidy collapsed and another player, Steve Anderson, began doing chest compressions.
Steele said the stars aligned for Cassidy and he had a great outcome because of it.
“Not that it’s a great thing to have a heart attack but, to have a heart attack in a place like that surrounded by people like that you couldn’t ask for anything better other than not having a heart attack,” Steele chuckled.
Dan Cassidy today had a chance to thank the bystanders who helped save his life after he went into cardiac arrest while…
Posted by Quispamsis qplex on Thursday, November 7, 2019
The next day, Cassidy found out he had three blockages, including a 90 per cent blockage in what they call the “widowmaker”.
Immediately, he was given the choice between surgery and having stents inserted to open the blockages in his heart and he chose stents.
A ceremony was held at the qplex last Thursday for Cassidy, his family and the people from the rink who helped save his life.
Steele says it was wonderful to see Dan again.
“He looks like the perfect picture of health. He’s playing hockey again and he’s back to work,” Steele said.
Steele encourages anyone who is willing and able to take a CPR course.
She says the Quispamsis Moosehead Oldtimers League recently hosted a basic CPR course and she sent her boyfriend, who was on the ice when Dan collapsed.
Steele says she was “utterly amazed” at the equipment that’s available and how user-friendly it is and how many people rallied around to help out.
You can hear our complete interview with Dan Cassidy and Patti Steele on Pulse NB on Sunday, November 17th, following the 9 a.m. news and again at 9 p.m.
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