"I woke up in the morning, washing the coffee pot, and all of a sudden, I felt very strange. I was sweating and clammy. I slowly lowered myself to the floor and laid down. My wife walked in, wanting to know what was going on, and my response was, “call 911.” 

I remember the paramedics arriving and saying, “you're having a heart attack.” Immediately they took me to San Juan Regional Medical Center, got me into the Cath Lab. I had a very significant blood clot. Dr. Sandhu had less than a minute to get it out. If I had to go outside the area, I wouldn't have made it. I didn't have 30 minutes or 40 minutes to drive somewhere. We're very, very fortunate that we've got that type and quality of doctor here in Farmington. 

Actions were taken to get me prepared for the ECMO machine. Basically, the machine, in simple terms, takes over your heart and your lung function to give your heart and lungs the ability to heal. The doctors were absolutely amazing. I had the “A team” and I was very blessed. They got me prepped for the machine that saved my life, and obviously I owe my life to them. 

You've got excellent people, excellent technicians, excellent nurses, excellent doctors. They're here and they care about the patient. The feeling of comfort that you get from the doctors is fantastic. You're part of their team. They want to be with you. They want to help you. They want to watch you heal with your family, which is fantastic. Not only were they taking care of me in the Cath Lab, they were taking care of my wife. That's the care you get at San Juan Regional Medical Center.

When I was back for checkups at San Juan Regional, Dr. Sandhu and the other doctors were giving me a standing ovation. They're going, “you're not supposed to be here. You're a miracle.” And they take a picture with me, and they post it in the Cath Lab and they say, “you're the reason we're doctors.” That makes you feel pretty good. I'm thankful I'm here to tell the story.

The bottom line is that San Juan Regional made life better here. When people ask me now how I'm doing, my answer is I'm great. I'm not good. I'm great. I feel great. I am a miracle man, and it's all due to San Juan Regional Medical Center. They saved my life." Richard Neely, President of the American Amateur Baseball Congress.