“I was dead,” exclaims Norm Kilcomons, 74, of Farmington. He collapsed suddenly on the tennis court at the Farmington Club on Sept. 5 during a game of doubles tennis. “I’m glad to be alive!”
“I spent over two weeks at UConn Health, but I don’t remember anything, including the day my heart stopped,” he says. “UConn Health saved my life, and even had me on ice.”
Norm had zero symptoms before his heart suddenly stopped. He didn’t know he had developed two major heart artery blockages.
He’s been playing tennis at the Farmington Club as a member for over 40 years since 1980. He has always been healthy and active as an avid athlete, having previously played football, basketball, and baseball. In addition to tennis, he has a longtime love for skiing, whether in Connecticut, Vermont, or Utah.
That fateful Thursday in early September, the longtime tennis club friends he was playing against – and who helped save his life with CPR – were Don Grayson and Brian Preleski.
“We’re so grateful,” says Norm’s wife Charlene. “We are fortunate as our one friend on the tennis court was actually a sub that day and wasn’t even supposed to be playing there. Both our friends went to work on Norm conducting bystander CPR together right away. We have a whole new level of appreciation for these friends.”
The Farmington Police and Fire departments and American Medical Response (AMR) paramedics Brittany Thibault and Klejda Doda responded to the tennis club and applied an AED and zapped Norm’s heart twice to successfully restart it and restore his pulse.
“Norm was then rushed to UConn by ambulance and all the doctors went to work on him right away too,” recalls Charlene.
To save his life, Norm needed to be stabilized and have two cardiac stents immediately deployed in the Cardiac Cath Lab of the Calhoun Cardiology Center by interventional cardiologist Dr. JuYong Lee and team in order to open up his heart artery blockages and restore healthy blood flow to his heart and entire body. He had two critical blockages in the arteries of the heart.
Also, he was placed in a medically-induced coma for several days and doctors leveraged hypothermia therapeutic cooling techniques right away to medically cool his body’s temperature to try and limit any inflammatory response and damage that his time spent in cardiac arrest might cause to his heart, but also other vital organs like his brain.
UConn John Dempsey Hospital has been leading the way to improve cardiac arrest survival. Last year it was recognized by the national CARES, the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival. For example, last year all of UConn Health’s cardiac arrest survivors were discharged from its hospital, all with full neurological function. For this often deadly and debilitating cardiac event, JDH has a 18.2% survival rate, which is higher than the national and state averages of 13.5%.
“Norm’s health was very fragile. He was in a coma for four days, and on ice,” Charlene recalls. “What a team effort,” she says about the medical professionals at UConn Health that responded to help Norm, including doctors and staffers from across emergency medicine, cardiology, the ICU, neurology, pulmonary, along with APRNs and nurses, too.
“Everyone was so attentive and caring to Norm, and professional,” Charlene says, recounting the time of their arrival and recalling the care of Dr. Cahill, Dr. JuYong Lee, and Dr. Maxwell Eder. Plus, the care as well by Dr. Supriya Tigadi and Dr. Kumar and countless others.
And in the ICU the family fell in love particularly with Norm’s nurse, Anna Rejnin, RN.
“She was incredible, so caring, and on top of every detail,” Charlene says. “She even trimmed Norm’s mustache and eyebrows! Her care and respect for Norm gave us such a good feeling of trust every day.”
Also, even pulmonologist Dr. Omar Ibrahim helped perform a pulmonary procedure on Norm. Charlene remembers how caring and comforting and how much time Ibrahim and so many others took to explain things to her.
Norm agrees: “UConn did it all right. I don’t have any disabilities after my cardiac arrest. UConn Health did a great job.”
“We can’t say enough about UConn Health,” says Charlene. “Everyone involved in Norm’s care deserves applause and credit for saving his life.”
“I especially remember this case. I am very happy that Norm not only survived, but also neurologically did great after cardiac arrest. It is a miracle story,” says Dr. Juyong Lee of interventional cardiology at UConn Health.
“Norm is a phenomenal success story which really highlights how far we have come as a field in treating cardiac arrest,” says cardiologist Dr. Maxwell Eder, assistant professor of cardiology at the Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Health. “He had immediate bystander CPR, early use of an AED to terminate the lethal heart rhythm he was in, successful treatment of his acute coronary syndrome in the Cath Lab, and excellent post-cardiac arrest care in the ICU including targeted temperature management. All of these factors coalesced to help Norm achieve a great outcome and it has been such a privilege taking part in his care.”
“Here at UConn Health, we believe care for our patients starts not at our hospital doors, but upon the arrival of our communities’ responders at the patient’s side,” says EMS Coordinator Peter Canning of UConn John Dempsey Hospital. “From the moment Norm’s tennis partners began CPR to the first touch by one of our emergency physicians and heart specialists, he was in good hands. Our chain of survival is strong in the Farmington Valley.”
Charlene, Norm, and the Kilcomons family are also grateful to their friends and neighbors.
“We felt the powers and the support and results of all the prayers,” Charlene says. She shared her gratitude for the prepared meals at their door, cards, flowers, and offers from neighbors to do even lawn care. She says the continuous care and support from her family, friends, and neighbors was just wonderful.
“I would like to acknowledge all the others who were incredible during this time,” she says. “All staff at UConn Health from the front door to the floor sweeper, my mother, sisters, and friends for support and keeping us fed! Our children Carli and Kyle, who were just amazingly loving, helpful, and supportive. I want to give them credit for being by my side and showing such love and devotion to their father.”
As part of his recovery, Norm attends his cardiac rehab program at UConn Health three days a week and is looking forward to a very special Christmas with his family, and returning to his love of racquet sports, golf, and skiing.
“Norm’s story has a miraculous ending, to a terrible event. We’re so grateful!” concludes Charlene.
