Hockey goalie survives heart attack, car crash after teammates perform CPR
ELMSFORD, New York (WABC) -- The Bible tells a story of Lazarus, a man who was brought back from the dead.
In Elmsford, New York, a similar story can be told about a man named Drew Lazarus.
Lazarus is accustomed to making saves, as the goalie for his over 50 league hockey team. Back in February, his teammates were the ones who saved him.
The 62-year-old suffered a heart attack while driving home from a game. He was on his way to meet his team at a diner.
Ilya Grozovsky, one of his teammates, saw Lazarus's car crashed into the bushes. He used a piece of steel to beak the window.
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"At that point his eyes were kind of wide open, but we felt for a pulse, there was no pulse, so in my mind he was dead," said Grozovksy.
Lazarus's teammates performed CPR. When EMTs arrived, they used a defibrillator to restart his heart. He was rushed to Westchester Medical Center, just a few miles away.
"If it wasn't for his friends that were around, people who knew how to do CPR, and having access to a hospital that's able to do emergency procedures in the middle of the night that can support his body and life through that, he wouldn't be here today," said Dr. Avi Levine of Westchester Medical Center.
Lazarus had no history of heart disease and no symptoms, but he spent five days in the hospital and had two stents placed in his heart. He has since made a full recovery, and the team has a new requirement in order to play.
"About 10 guys have gone to the cardiologist and we are really promoting a lot of things that I think guys over the age of 50 should be doing to be healthy, and to be careful because I would've never thought it would happen to him," said his teammate Todd Levy.
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