Val Thomas, 59, stopped breathing at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, and her family called paramedics. While they waited for help to arrive, they tried to revive her while others prayed. They estimate that she was without a heartbeat or oxygen for 15-20 minutes before she was put on a ventilator and transported to a Charleston, West Virginia hospital.
Doctors put her on a machine to lower her body temperature, in effect inducing hypothermia. Her heart stopped three times causing doctors to estimate that her chance of survival was less than 10%. She was kept on life support of nearly 18 hours while the family considered organ donation, prayed and said their final goodbyes. While they gathered around the bedside of Val Thomas, a nurse removed her breathing tube and disconnected her from various machines. Ten minutes into the process she moved her arm and started to speak to the nurse.
The miraculous recovery of a woman who had no neurological function for 18 hours is baffling to the woman’s attending physicians. They performed a ‘heart cath’ on the patient on Wednesday, May 21, to determine the level of damage to Val’s heart. They found no blockage or damage. She has been sent on to the Cleveland Clinic to further investigate what appears to be an electrical problem within her heart.
Val Thomas said, “I know God has something in store for me, another purpose. I don’t know what it is but I’m sure he’ll tell me.” |