I had a long chat with Nick on Friday, and as SASless says he chose the right place! Apparently Mary asked if anyone could help as he slowly collapsed (as most of us doze off during the sermon it wasn't immediately apparent!) and 5 doctors and two nurses (one from the hospital emergency admissions) saved his life
In his words:
My heart went into fibrillation while sitting in church and my blood pressure went to zero, next thing I knew my head went down on the pew!
As divine luck would have it, in the congregation were seven medical professionals including a cardiac surgeon. Mary organized the best CPR money could buy that kept me alive for the 10 minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive with a defibrillator.
My heart is entirely undamaged and there is no blockage so it really wasn't a classic heart attack.
The MRI found an inherited 3/4" growth on the interior heart wall that is the absolute cause. It is possible that my kids can have it. They will check my genetics to see.
On the internet: "an inherited condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which causes a thickening of the heart muscle, especially the wall between the two ventricles. In severe cases, the extra muscle obstructs the passage of blood out of the heart and may cause fainting or even sudden death. This disease usually occurs before the age of 40 and can affect children as young as age 10. It has been responsible for the deaths of several young athletes. "
To fix it, a defibrillator/ pacemaker works like a charm. They put one in this week.
He should be back home now and approaching a time to start traveling and enjoying life: get well soon Nick.