Duquesne Basketball medical staff saves father of 3 after widow-maker heart attack
The Duquesne women's basketball medical staff jumped into action and used a protocol they had trained for but had never used before to save Ed Wesolowski's life.
By Ava Rash
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PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — On Jan. 5, the Wesolowskis’ lives changed forever. Ed Wesolowski, a father and beloved husband, collapsed at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse during a Duquesne women’s basketball game.
Katie Wesolowski, Ed Wesolowski’s wife, remembered the terrifying moment his heart stopped while he was standing by her.
“Just, like, grabbed his face, and he was, like, shaking. He was like blue. So, I thought he was having a seizure. But deep down, I think I knew,” she said.
The father of three suffered a widow-maker heart attack. It’s when the largest artery in the heart becomes blocked and requires immediate treatment.
Seconds felt like hours for his loved ones.
“Just remember seeing them bring the AED over, and I turned and looked, and they were doing chest compressions on him,” Katie Wesolowski said.
Luckily for Ed Wesolowski, he was being watched over that day.
“I think that’s when our instincts took over,” Dr. Ryan Nussbaum, the team physician, said. “With Liz immediately grabbing the AED, Travis and I just — we’re all just running up there because that’s what we’ve been trained to do. And you’re just focused on doing what you’ve learned through basic life support.”
The Duquesne women’s basketball medical staff jumped into action and used a protocol they had trained for but had never used before to save Ed Wesolowski’s life.
“I remember a warm, like, sort of dizzy feeling and I guess overtook my body. It started, like, in my feet and sort of was working its way up. And I remember thinking, that’s strange. And then the next thing I remember is being revived,” Ed Wesolowski said. “I was dead for 90 seconds.”
In those fateful seconds, Liz Lee grabbed the medical equipment, Nussbaum did compressions and Travis Moyer used an automated external defibrillator.
“Everything went the way that it was supposed to, the, the way that it was planned. It was kind of a unique situation that it was a fan and not an athlete, but the the protocol and the process is always the same, no matter who the patient is,” Moyer, the assistant athletic trainer, said.
“How prepared they were to recognize the situation and know exactly what to do. And in a very tense moment, you know, and I’m crazy thankful for all of that,” Ed Wesolowski said.
He said, looking back on it, he was having some symptoms, like shortness of breath and arm pain, but did not think too much of it.
Signs of a heart attack include chest discomfort, pain in one’s arms and shortness of breath, according to the American Heart Association.
Those lifesaving measures performed by the medical team brought us to last week, when Ed Wesolowski and his family were back in the sport where they faced death. Ed Wesolowski saw his guardian angels for the first time before Duquesne honored its training staff during the game.
No amount of applause can measure up to the amount of gratitude the Wesolowskis have for their heroes.
“I mean, because if it wasn’t for, and if it, if all of those things, like, did it come together at the right time, then, you know, it might have been a different story, but they were they were ready to go,” Ed Wesolowski said.
If you or someone you love has suffered from a heart attack, the American Heart Association says there are five ways to help prevent having another one. This includes taking prescribed medications, going to follow-up appointments, participating in cardiac rehab, managing risk factors and getting supports.
There are some easy ways to prevent a heart attack. If you smoke, stop, choose and maintain a healthy diet, work to lower your cholesterol, and be physically active.
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