Police Officer Ken Kirby is keeping the streets of Seneca, S.C., safe again – just one month after being declared legally dead, the Independent Mail reported.
On Dec. 27, Kirby was putting away Christmas decorations when he suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.
The 52-year-old police officer had flat-lined, meaning he had no heartbeat, for more than 49 minutes, and the medical staff had given up.
Just as the doctor left the room to tell Kirby’s family the grim news, the attending nurse felt a faint pulse in Kirby.
Doctors decided to rush Kirby from Oconee Medical Center to Greenville Hospital System. Fellow police officers cleared traffic between the two hospitals as Kirby clung to life.
Once at Greenville, Kirby underwent a three-hour surgery to remove blockage around his heart. He was released from the hospital just nine days later.
Kirby’s daughter, Courtney Lee told the newspaper her father has sufferedno adverse effects from his short “death” and appears to behappy and healthy.
"You know, it's nothing but the grace of God that I'm here," Ken Kirby said. "Between God reaching down and putting that little bit of heartbeat back in me and all the nurses and everybody at Oconee Medical Center that worked on me so hard trying to revive me. That little bit of heartbeat coming back (was) just enough for them to continue working… I give God credit for everything that happened."
His back-from-the-dead tale has prompted his fellow officers to dub him “Officer Lazarus.”
Click here to read more on this story from the Independent Mail.
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