After their children grew up, Michael and Jill Loughran relocated from Stowe, Vermont, to a rural area roughly an hour away, settling on a 300-acre property that was formerly a Christmas tree farm.
In his earlier career, Michael served as operations manager at his family’s industrial engineering company in Philadelphia. In 2021, he transitioned to semi-retirement on the farm and ventured into tree cultivation.
Over a span of 10 days in November 2023, Michael, alongside two younger farmhands, cut approximately 4,000 trees, leaving him understandably exhausted.
Meanwhile, Michael’s home blood pressure monitor detected an irregular heartbeat, which he dismissed as a malfunction of the device. However, during a visit, his daughter Sophie, then a nursing student, advised him to seek medical evaluation after hearing of his condition.
Medical tests later identified an irregular heartbeat and high levels of troponin—a protein associated with heart issues. The underlying problem, five blocked arteries, was uncovered only after several months.
In March 2024, 56-year-old Michael underwent quadruple bypass surgery, a complex operation that reroutes blood flow around the blocked arteries using vessels from other body parts.
“After getting my plumbing fixed, I felt more assured about my health,” Michael reflected.
Following cardiac rehabilitation, Michael embraced an active lifestyle once more and made dietary changes, reducing sodium and processed food intake, aligning with the DASH diet principles to manage his blood pressure.
Given the farm’s isolation—with no paved roads in the town—Michael purchased an automated external defibrillator (AED) to prepare for any cardiac emergencies.
By October, Sophie had completed her nursing degree and was employed in the cardiac intensive care unit of a Denver hospital. Taking five days off, she visited her parents with hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.
On her third night home, Sophie’s sleep was interrupted by her mother’s screams.
Jill had been startled awake by Michael’s gasping. She was on the phone with emergency responders as Sophie reached the room.
Together, they moved Michael to the floor; Sophie administered chest compressions while Jill fetched the AED. They alternated executing shocks and compressions, aided by farmhands.
The ambulance took 35 minutes to reach their remote home in Stannard. By that time, Michael received three AED shocks, continuous CPR, and showed a faint pulse.
At the hospital, doctors stabilized Michael and cautioned that he might experience neurological damage from oxygen deprivation during the lengthy response time.
Yet, when Michael awoke, he temporarily suffered from vision loss and memory gaps, which faded in 24 hours, leaving no apparent physical or cognitive impairments.
Doctors diagnosed ventricular fibrillation as the trigger for Michael’s cardiac arrest. This life-threatening heart rhythm disrupts the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively due to chaotic electrical activity. No specific cause was identified.
As a preventive measure, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) was placed in Michael’s chest. The ICD monitors heart rhythms remotely and can deliver a life-saving shock if necessary.
“The doctors dubbed it a rare electrical glitch,” Michael noted. “Now, with both my plumbing and electrical aspects fixed and remote monitoring, any issues will be quickly spotted.”
Six weeks post-cardiac arrest, Michael returned to farm responsibilities but delegated tree cutting to his team. He later traveled to Colorado to visit Sophie, eager to hit the ski slopes.
“He was keen to ski right away,” Sophie remembered, “but I reminded him to get used to the altitude first.”
These stories highlight the remarkable journeys of those facing heart and stroke challenges, alongside caregivers and advocates committed to heart health.
The American Heart Association emphasizes awareness in heart and brain health through stories shared by individuals. This story represents individual experiences and does not necessarily reflect the Association’s official position.
