John Juras, 61, of Salem, is a true fighter and survivor. “If it wasn’t for this team at Salem Hospital, I’d be dead,” he said. His girlfriend drove him to Salem Hospital on April 4 after he felt chest pains. Juras’ heart stopped beating outside the emergency department.

Hospital surveillance cameras caught what happened next as more than two-dozen people, including medical staff and hospital employees, swarmed outside to help Juras. A registered nurse performed CPR on Juras while he was still in the car. Once he was moved to a stretcher, another RN jumped on top and continued to perform CPR as he was wheeled into the emergency department.

The medical team spent 45 minutes trying to resuscitate Juras as his heartbeat faded in and out. The team used a defibrillator 10 times. Juras was transferred to the hospital’s full-service catheterization lab, the only one in the region that offers more than diagnostic capabilities. Additional services include treatment and surgery. A cardiologist in the lab discovered Juras had a blocked artery to his heart, cleared the blockage and inserted a stent.

Juras then recovered over the course of 10 days in the care of medical staff and employees in the hospital’s cardiovascular care unit, before being released to go home April 14. “Absolutely a miracle what they did for me,” said Juras. “I owe them my life.”

A video complete with interviews with Juras, girlfriend Janet Carter, and the medical team, is available on Salem Health’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/salemhealth.

Salem Hospital is part of Salem Health, along with West Valley Hospital, Willamette Health Partners and other affiliated health care organizations offering exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. Visit us at salemhealth.org, facebook.com/salemhealth and follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth.