'I was dead for 24 minutes - this is what it's like to die and be revived'
A woman who was clinically ‘dead’ for 24 minutes after catching Covid-19 has spoken for the first time about what it was like during the terrifying ordeal.
Lauren Canaday, 39, said it felt like she’d now had a ‘second life’ and ‘two birthdays’ after she was revived by medics who found her unconscious at her home in Virginia. She had been on medication for controlled epilepsy for years when she suffered a ‘grand mal seizure’- which put her into cardiac arrest and stopped her heart from beating.
Her shocked husband rushed to her side after finding her on the floor and began performing CPR on her while her motionless body turned blue. He then quickly phoned 911 and continued heart compressions for four minutes until medics arrived and began their strenuous attempts to bring her back to life.
And after spending 24 minutes without a beating heart, they used four defibrillator shocks to finally restart Lauren's heart. Speaking about the period that she was clinically deceased, Lauren revealed she’d felt a ‘strong sensation of peace’ - and she now says she has a completely different outlook on her life.
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She managed said she felt a 'sense of peace' during the ordeal (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)She told Newsweek: “I have this gut feeling that it was friendly and peaceful even though I can't report any shapes or personas or visions of that time. What I have is a strong sensation of peace about that time when I was out of consciousness."
“I feel like this is my second life. 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."
Lauren was treated by medics in intensive care after she was revived, who discovered that she had contracted Covid-19. They went onto to find that she’d also got myocarditis, which inflames the heart muscles, and that the Mayo Clinic says can lead to “chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid or irregular heart rhythms”. It’s believed both the viral illness and her heart condition contributed to her sudden cardiac arrest.
Lauren said after she was given the all-clear from hospital, she has enjoyed simple pleasures far more – such as taking a long hot shower and eating a cheeseburger. And while her condition means she’s been forced to give up work, she has continued to exercise and maintain and healthy lifestyle - and has now written a book about her experiences.
She added: “I try to walk 10,000 steps a day and hike once a week as far as I'm able. I take a lot of time to be quiet, including silent prayer or meditation. I go to bed around 8 p.m. most nights."
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, fewer than one in ten people will survive an ‘out of hospital cardiac arrest’. And they say one of the most important ways to give a sufferer the best chance of coming back to life is receiving CPR and defibrillation.
The organization says in particular that early defibrillation can “quadruple” the survival chances of someone whose heart has stopped beating.
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