Rafael Nenninger took his victory lap around Sharp Allison deRose Rehabilitation Center after spending six months fighting to stay alive.
His race to keep his life started in November when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest.
“I was in the spinning class and suddenly I just lost consciousness," Nenninger said." Fortunately, the instructor knew CPR, so she applied CPR while the paramedics arrived and then I was transported to the hospital.”
He needed a heart transplant. The next four months in the intensive care unit (ICU) were crippling as he suffered one life-threatening arrhythmia after another.
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“It's the kind that if you or I were to experience, we would essentially collapse," said his nurse practitioner Mark Verlasky.
After Nenninger's heart complications, his kidney failed. His doctors were fighting a steep uphill battle.
“He went through very dire straits, so severe at some points that we were having conversations about end of life with the family," Verlasky said.
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As his wife and daughter sit in support behind him six months later, Nenninger feels like he has a second chance.
“It's like a reset where you have the time to reflect on the things I was not doing right or that I could do better,” he said.
The Chula Vista dad’s race to make it home is over and he won. His prize is the gift of life that he plans to pay forward.
“I became an organ donor," Nenninger said. "Relatives and friends became organ donors because they see very closely how important it is to have someone who is willing to give their organs and give the gift of life to someone.”
Verlasky said the best way to protect yourself from heart disease is to see your doctor regularly and know what your risk factors are. If you have a history of hypertension or high cholesterol, it’s important to get screened.
