Medina ISD chief of police asks other people not to play with their health after suffering a heart attack, dying for 15 minutes

MEDINA COUNTY, Texas – Medina’s ISD police chief, Abel Devora, was working at a race meeting on February 28, 2020, when everything went wrong. He suffered a heart attack and died for about 15 minutes until an emergency room nurse brought him back to life using CPR.

“That day, I just came in and it was like falling asleep while standing. So I have no idea what happened, ”Devora said.

The police chief woke up after having five bypass operations and several surgeries to clear his arteries several months later. A year later, he is back at work and living a different lifestyle.

“I try to walk every day. I try to put on some light weights, exercise, you know, I try to eat a little better, ”he said.

Devora’s goal is to do it one day at a time.

Dr. Dawn Hui, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at UT Health San Antonio who treated Devora, says the boss’s recovery is quite remarkable.

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“The disease that affected your heart, it was found that the disease was similar to that which was in other areas, in other vessels, such as those that went to the brain,” said Hui.

February is National Heart Health Month, and Devora is helping Hui publicize the importance of health care before problems arise. Hui said that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States for men and women.

Hui says it is essential to be under the care of a doctor. She says she often hears people say they have a hard time seeing clues that something is wrong.

“What I hear very commonly is, ‘Ah, I thought it was heartburn,’ she said. “One of the symptoms of heart disease is feeling more tired from your normal activities. But sometimes these things are difficult to discover. “

Hui said that people abandon him with age, but it could be something more.

People with a family history, who smoke and suffer from diabetes and obesity are at high risk. Heart disease can be found in people in their 30s.

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Hui says that getting to the front of the problem doesn’t have to be a dramatic life change, but it starts with small choices.

“Every meal you eat is a choice that you make. ‘Am I going to eat a healthy meal?’ ‘I’m going to eat the unhealthy meal’ or ‘Can I make a small appointment?’ I think small incremental changes are the best thing we can do, ”said Hui.

Devora is back at work. He says that before his heart attack, he was just a typical guy who didn’t like doctors and was often too tired to exercise. He says that everyone knows the importance of taking care, but sometimes work, family and lack of time get in the way.

“For me personally, I never really made excuses. I was tired. I just came home, ”he said. “Basically, it comes down to – doing what you know you should do. I mean, common sense is just that. If you know that, force yourself, and that’s the hard part – forcing yourself to do what you already know. “

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For more information on heart health, visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute page on how to make seven healthy choices in seven days.