Mabrook Mohamed was having a normal day on Sunday, where he went for a coffee with his friends after work around 5:30 pm. He did not experience any changes to his body even when he was talking to his friends and spending time with them while having coffee.
His life changed that night at around 10:30 pm, where he faced the possibility that the time he spent with his friends and that day may have been his last.
Mabrook, who is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Male' City Group of Hospitals, wrote on Facebook that he felt a strong pressure on his chest, and that it was not a piercing pain. He said that it felt like something was on his chest and that it did not move. He was under the impression it would fade away in a while, but the pressure did not change. He then slowly felt it move to his left arm.
He understood what was happening when the pain moved to his elbow, and realized that these were the signs of a heart attack.
Mabrook was sure this was the case due to the lessons he learned from seminars and training sessions he attended.
"I felt a heavy pressure on my chest. It was not that sharp but, it was a heavy pressure. It felt like it was not moving. I thought it would go away so I waited. But all of a sudden the pressure slowly moved to my arm. The pressure traveled toward my left elbow."
"At that point I knew in my heart but my mind did not want to believe it. I was about to have a heart attack."
Mabrook has received treatment and is currently in recovery.
According to him, he has taken part in various seminars about heart attacks, strokes and emergency care as part of his job over the last three years. Even though he took part in the seminars as part of his work responsibilities, he said that he never thought he was participating in the seminars in preparation to save his own life. He said he took part in the training sessions for the many people who go to receive treatment.
But due to the training, Mabrook was able to take swift action in saving his own life.
"Because of the call, using the knowledge I gained, the decisions I made at the time and because I did not ignore the signs from my body, my life was saved," said Mabrook.
"I thank God I was able to get there in time. I am writing my story while in recovery."
He highlighted the efforts from emergency room nurses and the team of doctors for saving his life and giving him a second chance at living, and expressed gratitude in his Facebook post.
Mabrook said in the post that heart attacks do not extend an invite before it occurs and that it can come to someone who is young, busy, strong and have other plans.
Signs of a heart attack:
- Pressure in the middle of the chest, where it feels like it is being squeezed or feels heavy.
- A pain that spreads to the left hand, left elbow, jaw and back.
- Shortness of breath, nausea and sudden light headedness.
Mabrook appealed in his post that if anyone sees such signs, they should not think the pain would fade and should not fall asleep with it. He said that it should be treated in the emergency room and that every minute counts in such a situation.
He shared his own experience of a heart attack for the purpose of spreading awareness.
