Ira's Survival Story

On March 21, 2022, while returning home from a ski weekend in Colorado with my son, I suffered a sudden plaque fracture in one of my main coronary arteries, triggering a massive heart attack. I had no significant underlying coronary disease—it was a rare and sudden event.

As my breathing worsened on the drive home from the airport, I insisted that my wife take me directly to the emergency room at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Within an hour, as I was being wheeled into the catheterization lab for an emergency procedure, my heart stopped and I went into full cardiac arrest.

After eight defibrillator shocks, twenty-five minutes of CPR, and placement on ECMO to sustain my heart and lungs, I was resuscitated. The blocked artery was cleared and two stents were placed. I spent nine days in an induced coma to allow my heart to recover and fifteen days at HUP before beginning a long road back home and toward recovery.

Timing saved my life. A delay of minutes—or a different set of decisions—would have led to a very different outcome. I was fortunate to arrive at exactly the right place, at exactly the right time, surrounded by extraordinary professionals.

Several months later, as I continued my physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery, my wife and I returned to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to thank the emergency department and cardiac intensive care teams who saved my life. Hosting a small lunch for the doctors, nurses, and staff who cared for me—and meeting the people who performed CPR and guided me through survival—was deeply meaningful. Their skill, compassion, and humanity are something I will always carry with me. I remain profoundly grateful.

This experience reshaped how I view time, responsibility, and service—and it continues to inform how I show up for my family, my clients, and my colleagues.