Last October, Larry and his wife, Jill, were in Utah visiting friends when their lives took a sudden turn for the worse. Age 57, Larry is a lifelong competitive swimmer – a former world record holder in the 50 to 54 age group – so when his friend invited him for a run, Larry readily accepted. A short time later, he experienced chest pain, nausea and weakness. Though he felt better after lying down, his chest discomfort persisted, so he went to the local emergency room.

Upon arrival at Timpanogos Regional Hospital, Larry lost consciousness and his heart stopped beating. A&E staff quickly revived him with chest compressions; then his doctor quickly implanted a Driver coronary stent to open up the blockage in his left anterior descending artery.

After a brief hospital stay, Larry flew home with Jill and returned to work a week later, grateful to be alive. "Since I had this heart attack, I just enjoy life even more," Larry says. "I truly believe they saved my life by getting me into the cath lab so quickly."

Now, just a few months later, Larry is back in the pool and itching to compete again. "It's just been wonderful feeling my strength come back," he says. "I feel great in the water and I'm swimming faster than I was before this happened."

Next: Johnny's Story