CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte resident and Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie is about to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of winning his medal-- and the two-year anniversary of coming back from the dead.
Paul Wylie and his wife Kate often run together through their south Charlotte neighborhood.
At 52, the figure skater and 1992 Olympic silver medalist is still in pretty great shape.
“I’m still running and skiing and cycling and sort of skating,” he says.
But almost two years ago while out on a run with friends, Wylie stopped breathing.
“I stopped breathing and my heart wasn't beating.”
His doctor at CMC-Pineville, Dr. Rohit Mehta explains, “Paul had sudden cardiac arrest-- for all intents and purposes, he died. His heart did stop, it went so fast it couldn't pump.”
His friends did CPR and saved his life. And now he lives with an implanted device.
“These are important pieces of hardware in my life,” he jokes-- referring to his silver medal of course, and his ICD.
“It has the ability to shock his heart. That's Paul's insurance policy.”
The wireless device also sends signals back to Paul's doctors atCMC-Pineville.
“The idea is as we start to generate data, we can be more predictive in how we do things.”
Wylie is well aware he is one of the lucky few to survive having his heart stop.
“I look at my wife and my kids and I think about that picture minus me might be.”
And he says running, skating-- everything is just a little bit sweeter these days.
“I try to relish the days and be thankful for everything I have.”