Paul Raposo doesn’t fit the profile for a heart attack victim — and that’s exactly what makes his story so striking.
At 51, the Toronto real estate professional describes himself as someone who “takes care of myself to prevent these things from happening.” He doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t drink. He eats clean — “I don’t eat fast food. I don’t drink soda pop. I try to eat healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables.”
Fitness is always part of his routine. Even while traveling from their home in Toronto to New Jersey for college visits, Raposo made time for the gym. On Easter Sunday, he went to the hotel gym for a typical session: “I rode the bike, the rowing machine, and then lifted some weights. Nothing major, just some maintenance.”
Though usually active, he hadn’t worked out for five days because of their family’s travels. “Still, I felt great after my workout,” Raposo said.
Cardiac arrest
But within minutes of returning to the room, everything changed. “We were trying to decide where to go for breakfast, and that’s when the episode happened.”
What followed was sudden, violent and completely unexpected — especially for someone with no family history of heart disease.
For his wife, Karen, the shift was unmistakable. The symptoms escalated quickly — “classic chest pain, arms going numb, sweating profusely. He was turning gray,” she recalled. When nausea set in, she acted and called for an ambulance. “That was the last straw. I wasn’t going to let him die.”
From there, the response was immediate and deeply human.
Emergency care
The hotel staff was “at our door within a minute with the police,” Karen recalled. EMTs followed within moments, bringing calm professionalism into a chaotic situation. Raposo credits them with saving his life. “The three ladies, they saved my life. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be talking to you.”
The crisis intensified — a cardiac arrest in the elevator, and another in the ambulance — but the composure of first responders never wavered. “Everybody was very professional. Nobody was panicking,” Raposo said.
Even the police stepped in beyond expected duty, arranging a second car to bring Karen and their daughters to the hospital. “They realized the severity. They said, ‘No, we’re going to take you.’” The gesture left a lasting impression: “That was really appreciated.”
At Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center, that sense of steady care continued. Raposo remembers meeting Mazin Khalid, MD, the cardiologist who would later install stents to clear arterial blockages. The ED and Cath Lab teams also played a tremendous role in Raposo’s treatment and care.
After the procedure, Raposo’s gratitude was immediate and emotional. “I remember grabbing Dr. Khalid’s hand and saying, ‘You saved my life, and I thank you so much.’”
Family connections
But it wasn’t just clinical excellence that stood out — it was connection. Dr. Khalid took the time to sit down with the entire family, explaining what had happened in terms they could understand to Raposo’s daughters. “He drew a diagram and showed us the pictures so we could trust that he was going to be OK,” Karen said. “He’s just incredible – an unbelievable human being.”
This incident also hit home for Dr. Khalid. “The fact that their two daughters were with him reminded me of my own two daughters,” said Dr. Khalid. “I can’t imagine what their family went through as it started.”
That same warmth extended across the hospital staff. Karen and Paul repeatedly return to one word: everyone. “We cannot say enough good things about every single staff member. Everyone was amazing.”
They single out ICU nursing leader David Pinsky, BSN, RN, who would “come and just sit with us and talk,” making a frightening experience feel personal and grounded. A longtime nurse named Shirley Buehler, BSN, RN, with more than 50 years of service, visited them often and remarked on the rarity of his survival.
Even small gestures carried weight. Custodian Edmun Tortman, who works in Environmental Services, came in on his day off to visit Raposo and his family. “Who does that?” Raposo said, still amazed.
Road to recovery
Today, as Raposo focuses on recovery, he keeps circling back to the same realization: this wasn’t supposed to happen to someone like him — and yet it did. “I’m in excellent health. I don’t have any health issues. And it happened.”
But just as strongly, he and his family hold onto gratitude. “We have a lot of thank-yous,” he said. In the face of something sudden and life-threatening, what endures most is not just survival, but the people who made it possible.
For more information about our cardiovascular services or to schedule an appointment, visit our Cardiology web page.