Virginia lady reveals what it is wish to die and are available again to life
- Lauren Canaday, 39, from Virginia, suffered a cardiac arrest eight months in the past
- She survived because of her husband performing CPR and response by EMTs
- Now she’s sharing the surprising advantages of her ‘second life’ on the opposite aspect
A 39-year-old lady who was declared clinically useless for twenty-four minutes after struggling a cardiac arrest has stated she seems like she’s been given ‘a second life’ – and described the surprising advantages which have include it.
Lauren Canaday, from Virginia, shared what it actually feels wish to die earlier than being resuscitated – and the way it modified her, throughout an interview with Newsweek.
‘When individuals say loss of life is simply part of life, I take that very actually,’ Canaday stated.
She skilled a sudden cardiac arrest in her dwelling eight months in the past, and her blood stopped flowing as regular for a staggering 24 minutes.
Canaday stated she has been on treatment for managed epilepsy for years, and on that fateful day she had a grand mal seizure, which causes aggressive muscle contractions and lack of consciousness. She stopped respiration.
![Lauren Canaday, from Virginia , shared what it really feels like to die before being resuscitated - and how it changed her](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/26/20/79349475-12902007-Lauren_Canaday_from_Virginia_shared_what_it_really_feels_like_to-a-2_1703624362246.jpg)
Lauren Canaday, from Virginia , shared what it actually feels wish to die earlier than being resuscitated – and the way it modified her
![Canaday survived the sudden cardiac arrest in her home thanks to her husband performing CPR, before EMTs arrived and shocked her four times with a defibrillator](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/26/20/79349465-12902007-Canaday_survived_the_sudden_cardiac_arrest_in_her_home_thanks_to-m-5_1703621650909.jpg)
Canaday survived the sudden cardiac arrest in her dwelling because of her husband performing CPR, earlier than EMTs arrived and shocked her 4 occasions with a defibrillator
‘My husband was throughout the corridor and heard me say, “oh s***,”‘ Canaday advised Newsweek’
“He rushed in to find me unconscious on the floor. I had stopped breathing and turned blue.’
Canaday’s husband dialed 911 before performing CPR on his fading wife until EMTs arrived. Miraculously, the medics managed to restore her heartbeat after using a defibrillator to shock Canaday four times.
She was rushed to an intensive care unit, where doctors diagnosed her with myocarditis – an inflamed heart muscle that reduces its ability to pump oxygen around the body – along with a bout of COVID-19.
Canaday said the medics speculated about whether her coronavirus infection triggered the incident.
Incredibly, she was discharged from the ICU after only nine days – and Canaday said that once her memory returned she realized her mindset was radically different after the episode.
‘I got frustrated a lot those first few days because I had no short-term memory and didn’t understand what was going on, and I was just super uncomfortable,’ she said.
But as she began to recover and was declared ‘cognitively intact’ by doctors, Canaday said she found overwhelming joy in small moments, from taking a shower to eating a hospital cheeseburger.
‘I remember a lot of very serene moments in and after the hospital, like none of the worries I used to have mattered, and I got insanely excited about things like cheeseburgers. Things just felt very simple,’ she said.
‘I feel like this is my second life,’ Canaday added. ‘I feel like I have two birthdays.
‘In my first life, I was very individualistic and strong. In this life, I have a completely different worldview and am comfortable—mostly—with depending on others…
‘A lot of stuff like status and career success don’t matter beyond survival needs, creature comforts, and helping others (now).’
![Incredibly, Canaday was discharged from the ICU after only nine days - and she said that once her memory returned she realized her mindset was radically different after the cardiac arrest](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/26/20/79349485-12902007-image-a-3_1703621587048.jpg)
Incredibly, Canaday was discharged from the ICU after only nine days – and she said that once her memory returned she realized her mindset was radically different after the cardiac arrest
![As she began to recover and was declared 'cognitively intact' by doctors, Canaday said she found overwhelming joy in small moments, from taking a shower to eating a cheeseburger](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/26/20/79349593-12902007-As_she_began_to_recover_and_was_declared_cognitively_intact_by_d-a-3_1703624362278.jpg)
As she began to recover and was declared ‘cognitively intact’ by doctors, Canaday said she found overwhelming joy in small moments, from taking a shower to eating a cheeseburger
Canaday conceded she was forced to give up her job, but spent her free time writing a memoir, released in November, called ‘Independence Ave: How Individualism Killed Me and Community Brought Me Back.’
The book explores living with chronic illness and how to rebuild your life after a shocking incident throws it off course.
Canaday said she now prioritizes the simple things in life – such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising, meditation and strengthening her relationships.
‘I try to walk 10,000 steps a day and hike once a week as far as I’m able,’ she said. ‘I take a lot of time to be quiet, including silent prayer or meditation. I go to bed around 8 p.m. most nights.’
Canaday said she’s passionate about sharing her story because a lot of other people have gone through similar experiences and she hopes her words can help them.
She’s one of the lucky ones – as only 10 percent of people who experience a sudden cardiac arrest at home survive.
In January, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation launched the Arrest Survivor Alliance to support survivors and their relatives through an online, global community.