Talk to any 20 year old and their head is full of dreams and potential, just like Justin Smith. Sadly though, the college student had his life cut short on a bitter February morning n Tresckow, Pennsylvania.
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And as his father, Don Smith started mourning his loss, lost and broken, a miracle happened. The 26-year-old who was produced dead by the emergency services was brought back to life by a last-ditch effort, turning young Smith into a medical miracle.
A Typical Guy
The 26-year-old, Justin Smith was studying psychology at Pennsylvania State University and like many other young college kids, Smith also liked to unwind with his group of guy friends every weekend.
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The gang often went to play golf together and cheered on the Philadelphia Phillies and of course, enjoyed a drink or two in between. And it was during one such night that Justin’s life forever changed.
Bad Memories
Call it a bad omen, or coincidence or fate but the night when Justin Smith’s life forever changed already held a bad memory for him. It was also the night his best friend had died, ten years later.
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Justin was just a teenager at the time and he and his friend were driving home after a good night spent with friends – the driver, Justin’s friend was only a little tipsy but sadly, that was enough to crash the car.
Haunted Him
The tragedy haunted him. While so many people assured him that he couldn’t have helped the situation, Justin felt the weight on his shoulders. He should have stopped his friend or forced the pair to walk. He should have tried, something, anything.
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And with all these thoughts churning in his head, Justin gathered with his friends at the social hall of the Tresckow Volunteer Fire Company. He hoped, a good night with his mates would help him change his sombre mood.
Ready To Leave
Little did he know that this night and decision was ominous. Justin walked straight into a death trap. The night went as planned, his friends did help cheer him up but despite all the merriment around him, Justin went a dark shadow over his head.
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He decided to leave. The designated driver of the night was still enjoying the party, so rather than imposing on him to drive him alone back home, Justin told everyone he was going to walk back. He bid his farewells and despite his friends asking him to say, the young man left.
Low Temperatures
Walking alone in the cold wasn’t anything new to Justin, he had lived in Pensylenvya all his life and was no stranger to the extreme weather. The average winter temperates in the state reach a low of 12°F (-11.1°C) and a high of 20°F (-6.7°C).
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And despite only wearing a hoodie, jeans and sneakers, Justin headed out the door and into the frigid cold. The walk home was supposed to be short but just outside the doors, a terrible fate was waiting for the college student.
No Chances
Later, everyone wondered what had driven Justin to walk home in such low temperatures? And while Justin fought for his life, it was only he who knew that driving home, even tipsy was never going to be an option for him.
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And as thoughts of his best friend whirled inside his head and snow flaked grazed his hair, something terrible happened. While the young man didn’t have any real recollection of the night, doctors had some theories.
A Misstep
Justin left at around 9:30 p.m from the bar and after only walking just a mile, he slipped on a snowbank and knocked his head. The fall left him unconscious and exposed to the elements. The young man was powerless to help himself and all he could do was succumb to the cold.
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And throughout the night, the 26-year-old was hammered by the freezing temperatures which dipped below zero. His friends, who were still at the bar were oblivious to Justin’s life slowly draining away from him.
The Next Morning
It was only the next morning with Justin’s girlfriend, worried that he hadn’t come home last night started calling his friends. She hoped he had stayed the night with one of them, hangover and safe.
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But as each groggy friend she called and heard a confused no, she began to panic. It wasn’t like Justin to just disappear and of course, she knew the significance of last night and how after ten years, it still affected him so deeply.
Don Finds Out
It was time to phone Justin’s dad, Don. As soon as he saw Justin’s girlfriend number on his phone at such an odd hour, he knew something was wrong. The father frantically picked up the phone, bracing himself.
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As he heard, Justin’s girlfriend recounts the little she knew, Don got more and more worried. She was right. This was unlike him and the significance of the night could not be ignored. He hanged up quickly and headed out the door.
Finding Justin
And finally, at 7:30 p.m, the 26-year-old was found. Don was the one to discover him and what he saw left him shaking. His once healthy young son was blue, his arms and legs had turned black.
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Justin’s eyes were open, staring blankly at his father and by the looks of it it looked like Don was too late and his young son was no more. Don frantically started wailing, holding the rigid body of his son. Unable to understand what was happening.
So Close
The commotion it created drew passerby busy on their morning commute. People gathered around Don, witnessing this father’s unbearable sadness. The worst part was that Justin was only a mile away from home.
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If only, anyone had gone out to search for him sooner, he could have been saved. “I held him and sobbed, ‘Justin, don’t leave me,’” Don later told the Lehigh Valley Health Network. “Then I called his mother and told her, ‘Justin’s dead.’”
Legally Dead
Don had tried searching for a pulse when he first saw his son but felt nothing. He was certain that Justin had passed away due to the cold and when finally, the paramedics arrived they too came to the same conclusion.
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They draped the sheet over Justin’s body and told Don to prepare for the worst. According to Dr Gerald Coleman from Lehigh Valley Hospital in nearby Hazleton, the situation looked bleak. “The coroner was on the scene,” a 2016 WPMT report quoted Coleman as saying. “The state police were on scene. They were doing essentially a death investigation.”
His Gut Instincts
But it was one paramedic’s instinct that snowballed the next events, he reached out to Dr Coleman and explained Justin’s situation. This was not normal protocol and by all means, the 26-year-old had passed away. So, why did he need to call a doctor?
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After talking to Dr Coleman, the paramedics had a new surge of energy. He ran to the driver’s seat, whispered something to his partner and told Don to meet them at the hospital.
Hyperthermia
It was obvious that Justin was suffering from extreme hyperthermia, this occurs when the temperature of the human body plummets below 95 °F. The condition can also set in after alcohol has been consumed, as this often affects the body’s ability to regulate warmth.
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In severe cases, vital organs such as the heart and brain begin to malfunction. And in turn, decreases blood flow to the rest of the body, sufferers typically go into a state of shock. Over 1500 people die from hypothermia every year just in the United States.
Breaking The Rules
And Justin was going to be next until Dr Coleman had an idea. After looking at the young man’s medical history and finding him overall healthy, he knew that he had to try anything and everything before he could declare Justine dead.
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Despite all the damage hypothermia does to a body, at times it can actually help save lives by slowing down chemical reactions in the body and in turn protecting the brain. The phenomenon even has its own catchphrase. “You’re not dead until you’re warm and dead.”
Body Temperature
Dr Coleman inspired and motivated by this phrase, decided to do just that. They began to perform CPR on Justin and decided to slowly warm his body. But to start all that, they would need to have an accurate body temperature.
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The simple procedure turned out to be quite a mountain to climb for the staff of the Hazleton facility since even their most sensitive temperatures gave out a reading which was either inconclusive or worrying at best.
CPR
Despite all this, for two hours, the staff performed CPR trying to revive the young man. Justin was hooked up to life support and as he began to warm up, they watched him patiently waiting for a sign of life.
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But they found none. That is when Coleman made a decision that seemingly flew in the face of logic. Rather than give up on Justin, the team would fly him by helicopter to another facility.
Another Hospital
“Our mind is supposed to run the show – not our hearts. Because if your heart runs the show, you can run into some problems,” Coleman explained, according to WPMT. “I just kind of threw that to the wind and said, ‘No, not today.’”
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Justin was on his way to Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Cedar Crest facility, which was an 18-minute chopper ride away. Two medical staff continued to perform CPR on Justin throughout the flight but with every minute, things were looking dire.
The Harsh Truth
In fact, nurse Tim Hickey, who was in the helicopter that day, recalled doubting that Justin would ever pull through. “People in this situation don’t survive,” he later explained to the Lehigh Valley Health Network.
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When the 26-year-old arrived at Cedar Crest, then, he was passed into the care of James Wu, who is a specialist in cardiothoracic surgery. Wu concluded that a procedure known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, was Justin’s only shot.
50/50 Chance
“I gave him a 50-50 chance for recovery,” the doctor told the Lehigh Valley Health Network. Justin’s family and friends were told to prepare for the worst. John Castaldo, a neurologist at Cedar Crest, was also consulted and he concluded that Justin possessed no brain activity.
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“There was little hope for functional survival,” Castaldo revealed to the Lehigh Valley Health Network. And despite all the ominous statistics, Justin came back to life! He was in a vegetative state but he was fighting.
More Tests
More tests confirmed the good news, his brain activity returned to normal “We were jubilant,” the neurologist admitted. “We believed there was a miracle unfolding in front of us.”
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“At first, [Justin] had no awareness of his surroundings,” the neurologist added to the Lehigh Valley Health Network and after a month in this state, the news that everybody was hoping for, finally came.
He Woke Up!
Justin Smith, after being declared dead by the paramedics was alive and getting better. He had a long road of recovery ahead of him but Justin had proved he was a fighter and everyone knew that he would get through it.
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“It was really hard,” he told the BBC in 2018. “My muscles were frozen. I had to relearn the basics – how to tie my shoes and brush my teeth.” He continued “. “My brain was also affected. While my memories slowly came back, at first I couldn’t remember anything from the previous few years.”
Beyond Logic
For the next three months, the young man went through intense therapy. “I’m just grateful,” he announced to reporters as he embraced the nurses and doctors who had never given up. “I’m proof of what can happen when great people work together.”
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Dr Coleman said “This case has taught me that sometimes you have to go with your gut,” he explained, “even when all logic demands otherwise.” and he couldn’t agree more. Despite losing all his toes and both his pinky fingers, Justin is now healthy as ever. He went back and finished his degree and always wears a coat outside now!