CHESTER - A Chester man who suffered a near fatal heart attack at the Amherst Golf Club last summer is well on the road to recovery.
Harry Davis was participating in a golf tournament at the club in late August when he collapsed on the 12th hole. He was taken to the clubhouse where club professional Frank McShane and Paul Wood performed CPR until EHS paramedics arrived.
From the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre, Davis was transported by helicopter to the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.
"I've done very well and am feeling very well," the 62-year-old chartered accountant said. "I'm back to work part-time thanks to the doctors and I'm back to walking four or five miles a day. I have my strength back."
Davis believes he suffered a heart attack in his sleep the night before the golf tournament and went into cardiac arrest at the course. He remembers almost nothing of the ordeal.
"I remember being with my brother and Ducky Webber the night before and I remember some of being on the golf course, but I don't remember the heart attack at all," he said.
"I remember talking to my playing partner and telling him I had heartburn and indigestion. I never get heartburn or indigestion. I remember him telling me that I was hitting the ball very solidly but it was going only about 30 yards."
He is grateful to Wood and McShane for keeping him alive and giving him a chance at survival. He's looking forward to coming to Amherst to meet both and personally thank them.
"I can't say how much I appreciate having them there that day. If it weren't for them, I likely wouldn't be here," said Davis.
Davis spent close to six weeks in hospital recovering. He suffered a second heart attack while in hospital and had surgery to repair damage caused by the CPR.
Since suffering the attack, Davis has quit smoking and adjusted his diet. He's also looking forward to hitting the fairways again in the spring.
"This whole thing has given me a new outlook on life," he said. "With everything there's something good that comes out of it. It forced me to realize how fragile we really are.
"I'm also very thankful to those family and friends who have offered me support since then. I know what they went through. It had to be a horrible situation for them."
dcole@amherstdaily.com
