New Hope Life Time employees revive man after heart attack on stair master

NEW HOPE, Minn. (FOX 9) - There are about 3,000 members of Life Time Fitness in New Hope, Minn. but one in particular is thanking employees there for saving his life.

Pat Edner works out five days a week at the New Hope gym, but during a recent visit, he had a heart-stopping experience.

“I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I don’t really know what happened,” Edner said.

Edner was finishing his workout on a stair master a few weeks ago when an employee noticed he was getting wobbly on his feet.

He soon lost consciousness and stopped breathing and employees couldn’t find a pulse.

“He was very sweaty, unresponsive,” said gym General Manager Ryan Deshler. “He was starting to turn a bluish-greyish color. It was pretty startling. It was very frightening.”

General Manager Ryan Deshler performed CPR on Edner while others employees called 911 and grabbed a portable defibrillator.

Aquatics Manager Stefan Albright shocked Edner with the AED and took over compressions as the 54-year-old regained a pulse and started breathing on his own.

“I’ve dealt with some major issues,” Albright said. “Bleeding, even some spinal injuries, but never dealt with someone whose heart and lungs stopped.”

It turns out Edner had a heart attack because of two blocked arteries and doctors ended up putting two stents in his chest. 

Edner doesn’t believe he would have survived if the Life Time employees hadn’t brought him back to life.

"I don't know what would have happened had it happened elsewhere,” Edner said. “Makes me feel like I owe them a debt. I don't know if I'd be around."

Edner works out five times a week to have a healthy heart, but now his heart belongs to two gym employees who saved his life.