News Archives
Back From the Brink: 'I Want to Go Home'
On most weekends, Ryan Finley sits on the porch of his Jones, Okla., home and reads the newspaper while his wife, Jill, sleeps in. But one Saturday in May, Ryan decided to wake her up.
"I can't tell you why," Ryan said. "But I just felt that I wanted to wake her up that day."
But Jill wouldn't wake up that morning. The 31-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest in her sleep, and after she was rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had very little chance of recovery.
Ryan was suddenly faced with a tough decision whether to take Jill off life support. He prepared to say goodbye to his young wife, but he wasn't prepared for what happened after the plug was pulled.
When he was unable to wake up Jill that morning, Ryan called 911. With the operator coaching him, he administered CPR until paramedics arrived. Ryan stood outside the bedroom door while they shocked Jill's heart.
'This Isn't a Dream
"I could, I could actually hear the machine going," Ryan said. "A thump and then the second thump. I heard Jill coming back down and hitting the wood floor."
In an effort to preserve her brain function, doctors at Oklahoma Heart Hospital put Jill in what's called a "chill suit."
