Hoffman Estates honors heart attack victim's saviors

It took a near-fatal heart attack to show Hoffman Estates' Doug Watson that he wasn't invincible anymore.

The 44-year-old acknowledged he's lucky to be alive Monday night at Hoffman Estates village hall, almost a year after his near-death experience. He gathered with park district staff and the fire department to recognize their efforts in saving his life with an award from the village.

Watson, the father of two girls, played with friends on a basketball league at the Hoffman Estates Park District Community Center and Ice Arena. "We're in the slow, fat white-guy league," Watson joked.

During a game on June 24, 2008, Watson dribbled the ball toward the scorer's table and asked for a timeout before collapsing to the floor. His breaths were erratic and sounded raspy. He was unconscious in cardiac arrest.

"I remember tip-off, I remember shaking hands before the tip-off, actually, and after that I don't remember anything else," Watson said.

Watson took three steps toward scorekeeper Karen Schultz before hitting the floor. Park district staff rushed to him and noticed a weak pulse. They called 911 and started CPR.

"I just had this feeling this was one of those instances we train for," Schultz said.

They tried to use the gym's defibrillator. But his sweat prevented the paddles from making decent contact and slid off. Paramedics arrived three minutes after the 911 call and were able to revive Watson with a defibrillator. Without the CPR, Watson wouldn't have survived.

They call Watson's ailment the widowmaker, the same affliction that killed NBC newsman Tim Russert. The left main coronary artery narrows, causing a likely fatal heart attack. In fact, Watson's organs suffered a total failure before paramedics revived him against the odds.

"It's not supposed to happen," Hoffman Estates Fire Department Lt. Donald Richter said.

Watson spent eight days at the hospital and even underwent hypothermia treatment, which lowers the body temperature to slow down metabolism and reduce swelling.

Watson's family has a history of heart problems, and the ailment is genetic. His wife, Katherine, and daughters, Katelyn, 8, and Jacquelyn, 13, have supported him. He's changed his diet and now takes an assortment of medications. His rehab has been successful, and he was scheduled to return to playing basketball for the first time on Monday night after the village board meeting.

"But I'll go slow, only play five minutes at a time," he said.

The fire department offers CPR classes every month. For details, contact Richter at (847) 843-4825 or donald.richter@hoffmanestates.org.