When Kathy Patten from Baltimore, Maryland says she got ‘a second chance at life’ in 2021, she means it literally.
Over the July 4th weekend, Patten was clinically dead for 45 minutes before doctors were able to revive her. At the same time, in the very same hospital, her daughter Fifer was in the middle of a 39-hour labor, and had just been told she’d have to undergo an emergency c-section because her baby was stuck in the birth canal.
The drama began to unfold when Patten received a call with news of her daughter’s labor while enjoying her day on the golf course. She rushed to the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, where she almost immediately suffered a heart attack.
Very quickly, doctors lost her pulse, she recounted to WJZ-TV. According to CBS Detroit, she had no heart rate or oxygen.
It took nearly an hour of CPR, but doctors were able to revive her. Just a short time later, her eighth grandchild was born.
“It was a second chance at life. I’m just going to be the best person I can be in every way and I’m grateful for every minute I have,” Patten told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Fifer is also counting her blessings.
“It was just fate that my Mom was supposed to be here. It was ultimately because of Alora that my Mom is here and happened to be at the right place at the right time,” she told WJZ-TV. “She truly is a walking miracle.”
Thanks to the team at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Kathy, Fifer, and Fifer’s baby are all healthy — but doctors say they also have the family to thank.
“You taught us what it means to live,” said Dr. Dov Frankel. “You taught us what it means not to give up.”
