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Michael Bonnardi was training for his third marathon when his runs began taking more of a toll than usual. Some days, he felt totally drained.

“I must be feeling my age,” Michael, then 61, told himself.

On a Tuesday night in August 2024, Michael made dinner for himself and his wife, Maureen, at their home in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Feeling exhausted, he went to bed earlier than usual.

Lying down, Michael suddenly felt pressure on his chest. “I felt like my life was being pulled away from me,” he said.

He managed to get up and go to Maureen, who was reading in the living room. After seeing his pale skin, she rushed to get their blood pressure monitor.

The reading on one of Michael’s arms was so high that she decided to try the other arm. Still high. She measured her own blood pressure to make sure the monitor was working correctly. It was.

Then Michael grabbed his left arm, his hand squeezing into a fist. “I feel like it’s going to explode,” he told her.

Michael was having a heart attack.

Cardiac arrest: ‘Are you saying I died?’

Once Michael got to the hospital and as caregivers ran tests to verify the heart attack, his heart stopped.

Doctors revived him with CPR and one shock with an automated external defibrillator, a machine that can help restore a heart's normal rhythm.

Four minutes later, Michael heard doctors yelling his name and Maureen telling him everything was all right.

“Welcome back,” a doctor said.

“What?” Michael said. “Are you saying I died?”

“Oh, yes,” he said. “Your heart stopped beating. But you’re OK now.”

A cardiac catheterization revealed three blockages in two arteries, including the left anterior descending artery, which carries much of the blood to the heart. That blockage is what caused Michael’s cardiac arrest.

Doctors implanted a stent at each blockage, restoring normal blood flow. Just one look let Maureen know Michael was recovering nicely: “It looks like you were at the beach,” she said. “Your color is totally back.”

Michael knew it, too. His energy returned and the pressure in his chest was gone.

Now, though, he faced a mystery: As someone fit and active, who didn’t smoke or drink and had no family history of heart disease, why did he have three blocked arteries?

Doctors found no clear explanation. Still, they prescribed medications to reduce chances of a recurrence. Michael and Maureen further improved their heart-healthy lifestyle by cutting back on red meat and processed foods. Maureen was also inspired to stay more on top of her own health.

Recovery after heart attack and cardiac arrest

Michael started cardiac rehabilitation about two months later. It gave him the confidence he needed to return to his home gym, using lighter weights for more reps.

He, of course, skipped the marathon, which he was going to run with his son, Jeff. Instead, they spent New Year’s Eve hiking to a camping spot along the Appalachian Trail.

“I’m making what I think of as a generational shift,” Michael said. “I walk a lot and I’m doing a lot of tai chi and yoga. Those have also been emotionally and spiritually grounding. It’s actually pretty cool.”

Heart attack and cardiac arrest: Know the signs

Fatigue and chest discomfort, like Michael experienced, can be warning signs of a heart attack. Cardiac arrest, however, often happens suddenly and without warning. While many people use the terms interchangeably, a heart attack and cardiac arrest are not the same. Learning the signs of a heart attack and knowing how to perform CPR could help save a life when every second counts.

Stories from the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.