By Emily Halnon
American Heart Association News
ATLANTA 鈥� Willie Hatchett was eager and ready for the start of the Peachtree Road Race, a 10K held on July 4 in Atlanta. Hatchett had run it nearly every year for two decades and was confident he could get to the finish line.
The 59-year-old EMT and former firefighter bolted through the sea of runners, working his way toward the first-mile marker. That also happened to be the spot where Atlanta Police Department Officer Melina Lim was stationed.
Lim was both working the event and watching for her best friend, who was running the race.
First, the professional athletes flew past her. As the next wave of runners approached, Lim told the crowd around her, 鈥淢y best friend will be here soon. Get ready to make some noise!鈥�
She held up her phone so she could take a picture of him.
Instead, her screen showed something alarming.
A man was stumbling across the street. His footsteps suddenly stopped. He closed his eyes and fell to the ground. People started tripping over him.
Lim ran across the street to where the man 鈥� Hatchett 鈥� had collapsed. She bent down and tried to create a barricade with her body so others didn鈥檛 hit him.
She radioed to her team, 鈥淚鈥檝e got a runner down.鈥�
Hatchett鈥檚 body started seizing. Lim slid her leg beneath his head to protect it from the pavement. A gash over his left eye was gushing blood. He wasn鈥檛 breathing. She started CPR. Three doctors, who had all been running the race, jogged over to help.
They took turns giving Hatchett CPR. One of the doctors ran to a nearby hotel and brought back an automated external defibrillator, also known as an AED, a machine that can help restore a heart鈥檚 normal rhythm.
They shocked Hatchett, but he didn鈥檛 respond.
They kept doing CPR and retrying the AED for 30 minutes without sustaining a healthy rhythm.
An ambulance arrived and paramedics rushed Hatchett to the hospital. On the way there, they peeled off his race bib and found the emergency contact he鈥檇 written on the back.
His wife, Nadjo Hatchett, was told her husband had collapsed during the race and was on the way to the hospital.
When Nadjo got to the hospital, she got more news: She couldn鈥檛 see her husband because he had tested positive for COVID-19.
A doctor called her after she got home and said, 鈥淲e need him to wake up before we know whether he鈥檚 experienced brain damage or partial paralysis.鈥�
Around 4 a.m., Willie woke up.
The last thing he remembered was leaving home for the run. One of the first things he asked his doctor was, 鈥淒id I finish the race?鈥�
His doctor told him he鈥檇 gone into cardiac arrest about a mile in.
Cardiac arrest is essentially an outage of the heart鈥檚 electricity. It can be triggered by a heart attack, which is essentially a plumbing problem. Willie had that; in fact, doctors inserted four stents to clear blockages in his coronary arteries, restoring normal blood flow.
As an EMT used to being on the receiving end of CPR, he was overwhelmed by the notion of having been on the receiving end. Plus, he thought he was healthy.
He鈥檇 been exercising regularly to get ready for the 10K. Registering for the event gave the former Marine extra motivation to stay in shape throughout the winter and spring.
Outside of feeling a little off a few days before the 2022 race, there were no signs of problems. He later learned there was a history of heart issues in his family.
As Willie鈥檚 care played out, Lim wondered about his fate.
The last thing she saw was him leaving in the ambulance. The absence of information left her fearing the worst.
Then she remembered something: Her body camera. It captured the information on his race bib. She used that to learn his name and, eventually, made it to Willie.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e a survivor,鈥� she told him.
Then she filled him in on a promise she鈥檇 made after watching the ambulance take him away.
Although she鈥檇 never been a runner, she鈥檇 vowed, 鈥淚f he pulls through, I鈥檓 running the race next year.鈥�
Months later, Willie tested her sincerity.
鈥淩egistration is open. Let鈥檚 do Peachtree together,鈥� he told her.
She was all in.
As were the three physicians who鈥檇 helped save his life.
Willie wasn鈥檛 allowed to run the 2023 race, but his doctor cleared him to walk. So, the group lined up together on a rainy July day and celebrated the fact that Willie had another shot at that finish line.
This time, he remembers exactly what happened.
鈥淲e finished that race,鈥� Willie said. 鈥淭here were a lot of hugs and cheers along the way.鈥�
He said he believes 鈥淚 got to stay here for a reason. I鈥檓 going to keep moving forward and keep sharing my story and hope that it helps someone else survive.鈥�