Golfer Grateful to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for Life-Saving Mulligan
February 27, 2023
John O’Malley considers June 23 as his new birthday. That’s the day some quick-thinking bystanders, doctors and staff at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center saved his life after a massive heart attack on the driving range of a Monmouth County golf course.
John suffered a “widow-maker” – one of the deadliest types of heart attacks, which results from plaque blockage of a major artery to the heart; survival rates are low.
Resuscitated on the course, he was rushed to Jersey Shore, where cardiac surgeon Matthew S. Schoenfeld, M.D., placed three stents in his heart. His caregivers and the staff at Jersey Shore were skilled and attentive during his 23-day stay as an in-patient that included seven-days in a coma, John said “Everyone there took good care of me - every doctor, every nurse. Dr. Schoenfeld was just fabulous – he was there three or four times a day to see me.”
John, who owns the Oceanview Title Agency in Brielle, is back to golfing and is set to turn 71 in March. He recently made a $500 donation to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation in honor of Dr. Schoenfeld and his cardiac care team at the medical center in Neptune Township.
O’Malley said he never had any symptoms or inkling of heart disease before he collapsed at Due Process Stables Golf Course in Colts Neck. Luckily, one of the caddies nearby, Eddie Crowley, was a retired Emergency Medical Technician with the NYFD. As Crowley jumped into action to perform CPR, he was joined by Michael Feaster, a school teacher trained in CPR, and Madelin Carrer, a waitress at the course club, who is a nurse.
The trio worked hard to save John, who was resuscitated with a defibrillator twice at the golf course and again on the operating table, he said. The recuperation was tough; He was so weak, he was in a wheelchair at first and he needed dialysis and physical therapy.
But now John, who has homes in Mantoloking and Sarasota, FL, is playing in senior golf tournaments. He’s staying focused: eating healthier, exercising more and overall enjoying life. “I’m very fortunate,” he said. “The people at Jersey Shore are great.”
We are so glad to hear that John received this life-saving care, and thank him for his generosity to honor his team of doctors and nurses! As we close out American Heart Month, we encourage you to take care of your heart. Hackensack Meridian Health offers several effective screening tools, which can help you determine your risk, including AngioScreen® and CT Calcium Scoring.
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