Man Suffers Heart Attack During Charity Heart Walk
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iStock/Thinkstock(UTICA, N.Y.) — A man has died after suffering a heart attack during an American Heart Association charity walk in upstate New York on Saturday, despite efforts by two fellow charity walkers to save his life, authorities said.
Michael Wofford, 66, collapsed during the America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk at Utica College near a doctor and a registered nurse who rushed forward to try to revive him, according to a statement from The Arc, a national organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities. Wofford was walking on The Arc’s team.
“We are all deeply saddened by Michael’s passing. He enjoyed participation in community events like the Heart Run and Walk,” Karen Korotzer, chief executive officer at The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter, said in a statement, adding that she was “moved” by community supporters and the people who attempted to revive Wofford.
Registered nurse Courtney Daviau saw Wofford fall and quickly realized he wasn’t breathing, so she ran to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. Her colleague, Dr. Bradley Skylar, a Utica gastroenterologist, joined her to administer CPR, according to the Post-Standard.
Two police troopers at the race then used a defibrillator to get Wofford’s heart beating again, according to a New York State Police statement. Then, an ambulance arrived to take Wofford to Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare’s intensive care unit.
Woffard died early Monday morning, according to a statement from The Arc.
“He will be greatly missed,” Korotzer said.
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