Heart-starting action

Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall IV is a respected cardiologist in the US (as this summary shows) with over twenty years experience. He has performed heart operations in many hospitals and holds professorships in several universities.

In 2007, Dr Crandall told of a man named Jeff Markin who he had attended in hospital after Jeff had suffered a massive heart attack. An emergency team of doctors and nurses had tried for 40 minutes to re-start his heart without success, when they called in Dr Crandall as a cardiac specialist, to confirm Jeff was dead.

As I entered the ER [emergency room] it was like a war zone. Here was this lifeless body on a stretcher. Dr Crandall said later. His face, his arms, his legs were pitch black with death.

Dr Crandall confirmed what the team already knew, Jeff was dead. However then a “voice” in his head told him to pray for the man. Dr Crandall was sure it was God, so he prayed for Jeff, then stopped the surprised medical team who were preparing the body for the morgue, and directed them to give him one more shock with the paddles. His heartbeat returned almost immediately and Jeff subsequently fully recovered.

This apparent miracle was first recorded by the International Press Association (featured article id=425, but no longer available online) and on the World Christian Doctors Network (which gave no details), and the website of an organisation named ASSIST. It was shown on Fox News WSVN7 Florida, based on interviews with Jeff and Dr Crandall – the missing video is now available on YouTube. Wanting to further verify these stories, I found the same story reported by the American College of Radiology but it is no longer available, on Fox News and Palm Beach Daily News archive (it was originally a feature story, but is now only in the archive).

The various accounts are not totally clear and consistent (the Fox News print reporter in particular seems to have got some of the facts a little garbled), but agree about all the main details.

This is not the first time Dr Crandall has observed a miraculous healing after prayer. Given Dr Crandall’s experience and credentials, there seems to be no reason to doubt the story. I therefore conclude that it was probably a miracle – one cannot be certain, as mistaken diagnoses can occur, and people can revive unexpectedly, but those options seem improbable in this case. Dr Crandall: “You are speaking to a scientist, a cardiologist, someone who loves medicine. I’ve never, ever seen this. There are always people that do not believe these events, and I will just tell them that it did happen. It was a real story, a real life that was restored.”

Jeff Markin wasn’t exactly a believer before that day but this experience has made him believe there is a higher purpose for his life. I want to get the right message across that miracles do happen….. I’m so happy I have a second chance. You can also read Jeff’s side of the story.