- Eddy Montero was having dinner with his daughters and grandchild when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest
- A medical team nearby finished dinner and performed resuscitation until paramedics arrived
- Dr. Nicole Brenner, 35 weeks pregnant, led the response before Montero was taken to Florida Osceola Hospital
A man who suffered a heart attack while eating dinner with his family was miraculously saved by four doctors who were finishing a meal nearby.
Eddy Montero was visiting his daughters and meeting one of his grandchildren for the first time in the Lake Nona area of Florida when he said his “life flashed before his eyes.”
Montero became dizzy and collapsed, not knowing he was going into cardiac arrest.
A doctor at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital and three residents who were packing dinner saw the man struggling and jumped into action.
Montero, now recovering in the hospital, told WESH2 in Spanish, “An angel appeared” and saved his life.
His daughter Fabiana said she thanked God “because they came at the right time and saved my father’s life.”
Eddy Montero (center) suffered a heart attack while having dinner with his family, but a team of doctors dining nearby rushed to his aid
The Florida man was meeting with his family in the Lake Nona area of Orlando when his “life flashed before his eyes.”
Montero visited his daughters and met one of his grandchildren for the first time
Dr. Nicole Brenner, 35 weeks pregnant, and residents Dr. Sonia Alicea, Dr. Amanda Rivera and Dr. Suhail Saad-Omer helped Montero until paramedics arrived.
“We quickly checked the pulse, and once it was determined that there was no pulse and he was in cardiac arrest, resuscitation was immediately initiated,” said Brenner, an internal medicine specialist with nearly a decade of experience.
‘DR. Saad-Omer called for emergency help and helped find out if there was additional support in the area. Both Dr. Alicea and Dr. Rivera was able to initiate CPR and take over for me because it’s a little challenging,” Brenner added as she placed a hand on her pregnant belly with a laugh.
A shaky video taken outside the Bosphorus Turkish restaurant shows a crowd forming and paramedics standing by with a stretcher.
Doctors Nicole Brenner, Sonia Alicea, Amanda Rivera and Suhail Saad-Omer worked to stabilize the man until paramedics (pictured) arrived
Dr. Brenner (third from left) says the team checked for a pulse and, finding none, immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation
When Montero was taken to Florida Osceola Hospital, he happened to be Dr. Suhail Saad-Omer assigned.
At their second meeting, doctors hugged Montero’s family.
“It really feels like we were destined to be there,” Brenner said.
It’s unclear what caused Montero’s heart attack, but episodes can occur suddenly, especially in older people.
Montero credited doctors with saving his life, saying in Spanish, “An angel appeared.”
Montero’s daughter Fabiana thanks God that the doctors were there to help him. They met again at Florida Osceola Hospital, where Montero happened to be Dr. Suhail Saad-Omer was assigned
Cardiac arrest occurs when an artery that carries blood and oxygen to the heart is blocked.
Over time, fatty deposits build up, forming plaques in the heart arteries. When a plaque ruptures, a blood clot forms.
This clot blocks the arteries, restricts blood flow to the heart muscle and causes the tissue to die.
Heart attacks can be fatal if not treated immediately.