People who died and came back to life on how it changed them forever

As an intensive care doctor with 20 years of experience working for the NHS, Dr Matt Morgan has resuscitated many patients whose hearts had stopped, bringing them back from the dead. But what do these survivors learn from their second chance at life?

And what can we all learn from their brushes with death?

Dr Morgan asked cardiac arrest patients – his own and others from around the world – to share their hard-won wisdom and insights…

Live life

Jen was 34 when, eight years ago, she died of heart failure caused by the same genetic condition that killed her mother. However, Jen survived thanks to a heart transplant, and a tattoo on her wrist shows a heart in a jar with the caption “live life”.

“Use those plates you are keeping for a special occasion,” says Jen. “Wear that special ball dress. In case that special day never comes.”

Dr Morgan agrees: “We all have two lives. The second one begins when we realise we only have one. So if you reach a fork in the road, I’m not saying you should blow your on the once-in-a-lifetime trip, but maybe that concept of two lives will help to inform your decision.”

Live in the moment

In 2020, killed pharmacist Luca. Though he was hooked up to life support machines, his oxygen treatments failed. His life was eventually saved by specialist treatment to add oxygen to the blood, bypassing the lungs.

However, today, Luca says he is glad he had a brush with death. It taught him to live in the moment. He also started to devour books on self-development which helped him to build his own confidence.

“Firstly, be present in your life,” says Luca. “Life can shoot you in the chest… Life happens without warning. And secondly, choose the words you say and read with purpose and care. Words matter, especially the ones you say to yourself.”

Choose friends carefully

Summer was 25 with a long history of depression and anxiety when she took an overdose of prescription pills. Her heart stopped three times in the emergency department. Thankfully, she survived, and says the experience gave her “a sense of clarity, of what was important. People are important, not things… And I’m trying to live for the next few moments, not too many more.”

She also changed her friendship groups to surround herself with people who made her “feel more like herself”. Surrounding yourself with people who are positive influences has an impact. Studies have shown, for example, that if your best friend smokes, you are over 60% more likely to smoke yourself.

Do things badly

It took three rounds of CPR, drugs and a life support machine to save Alex from the nut allergy that technically killed him aged 25. But he was left with crippling survivor guilt.

Though he was a talented euphonium player, Alex took up piano after his brush with death. “He loved it, partially because he was not good at it,” says Dr Morgan. Alex needed a hobby that allowed him to be in the moment instead of striving to reach a goal.

“Hobbies can morph into another competitive pursuit. The point of doing these things is to be there in the moment.”

Do less but better

Aged 38, Kai had a heart attack that was attributed to his perfectionism, “trying to do everything, for everyone, all of the time”.

Kai had a demanding job as a doctor, drank too much coffee and too little water, ate too little, and family life was hectic.

Since his recovery, life has changed. He takes on fewer responsibilities at work, makes time for himself, and his family left the city to live by the sea.

“We should quit things,” says Dr Morgan. “Not only things you don’t enjoy or are bad at. Sometimes you should quit stuff in order to do more of the stuff you enjoy. Reframe quitting as something positive. It’s often about doing less and less but better.”

Display photos

Aged 29, Roberto was climbing Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Dolomites, when he was trapped by a storm for so long that his body froze solid and he had a cardiac arrest. It was eight hours 42 minutes later that the medical team restarted his heart using a single electrical shock.

He was left with no memories of the event until his father showed him footage Roberto had captured on the climb. When the memories came flooding back, his recovery accelerated.

“Studies have shown that when people review the photos on their phones, it triggers not just positive emotions such as joy and love but it can strengthen our memory and even our relationships,” explains Dr Morgan. “Photos can even help physical pain.”

Face your fears

Within months, Roberto was fearlessly climbing again. “You should never be scared of one bit of bad luck,” says Roberto. “Instead, I remember all the small bits of good fortune that added together to allow me to be here today. Don’t be scared of your own life – it is the only one you have.”

Live for moments, not possessions

Cody earned a fortune driving trucks around remote Australian mining communities and he owned everything he could want. In his downtime, he spent extravagantly and partied hard. But life felt hollow.

On his 40th birthday, he drank too much and took crystal meth and cocaine, but had a massive heart attack and died. He was only saved by a drinking buddy’s CPR.

A year later, Cody was clean and had learnt the hard way that, as Dr Morgan puts it, “the things that matter aren’t things”. He started working with kids to help prevent addiction, volunteering as a kids’ basketball coach, and setting up a basketball team for the drug rehab centre that had helped him. “The team rarely wins,” says Dr Morgan. “But they have won a sense of meaning, no matter how small, to bring life back into their life.”

Support others

Ed was 17 when he sheltered under a tree during a storm, only to be hit with 300 million volts of lightning. Though his heart stopped, he was resuscitated by CPR. However, his best friend died, and Ed struggled with survivor guilt for years.

He eventually “created his own cure” after he started volunteering at the local hospital, supporting patients and family members who were having a difficult time.

Dr Morgan suggests: “If you know someone struggling and can’t think of the right thing to say, just say something. Or say nothing but be there. Tell them you love them. Tell them you care.”

A Second Act: What Nearly Dying Teaches Us About Really Living by Dr Matt Morgan is out now (Simon & Schuster, £20)