Posted on 09/09/2013 3:42:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
News anchor Leon Harris, a beloved fixture on Washington ABC affiliate WJLA-TV, has recovered from a severe medical condition that nearly killed him. In fact, Harris says that he died twice while under care, making his triumphant return to the anchor’s desk tonight even more remarkable.
As reported by Yahoo! News, Harris, 52, appeared on Good Morning America earlier today to share details about his health scare and how it nearly took his life. A 20-year veteran, Harris says after doubling over from severe abdominal pain on Aug. 1, it was revealed that he suffered from acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Doctors at Baltimore’s John’s Hopkins Hospital made the discovery after he was airlifted to the facility. It was worse than Mike Tyson punching me,” says Harris. “It was the worst pain I think I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Harris’ kidneys were failing him and his lungs were filling with fluid. For nine days, Harris needed the assistance of a ventilator to breathe and suffered so much, he felt himself losing the will to live and even told his wife, Dawn, and their two children to make preparations. Watch Leon Harris talk about his experience here:
“On two different days I died,” he said. “I zeroed out and they revived me. I got sick and tired of trying to breathe. It was like trying to snorkel across a lake breathing through a cocktail straw.” But what happened next was truly a miracle.
“And I closed my eyes and I happened to see Dawn’s face. And I said, ‘I can’t quit on her. If I quit on her, I’m going to go to hell, and if I go to hell, I’m not going to go to hell for quitting,’” he shared. Shortly after the vision of his wife’s smiling face, Harris’ condition improved rapidly.
Now with half a pancreas, Harris is slated to join the evening news team at WJLA for the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. airings. Despite a return to his normal schedule, Harris realizes how blessed he is.
“If I die twice on the table and I’m still here…God kicked my butt out of Heaven twice, so I’m supposed to be here,” Harris said. “I can’t quit.”
LOL
Props.
Been there, done that.
Don’t recommend it.
Thnx.
How often does that happen outside of the pages of the National Enquirer? Although, that is the reason caskets used to have a bell and rope attachment that stuck above the ground. Those paranoid that they would be buried alive would have an alarm bell.
Anyways, no patient that I have seen in the better part of two decades that has been asystole in two or more leads has ever waken up later after calling the code.
But you’re feeling much better now?
Forget the National Enquirer. It doesn't happen often but it has happened with people who were ostensibly dead. I wasn't referring to premature burial which obviously can't happen with embalming or cremation; however, people also have revived in funeral homes prior to embalming, albeit also very rare. But there have been cases of premature burial in bygone eras as you pointed out. I think the accepted definition of dead by the medical profession is brain dead, the cessation of all brain function. My original point was if you truly die you can't come back to tell about it.
That is the point.
A person can be submerged in extremely cold water for hours and the body recovered, not breathing, no pulse, a core body temperature below that can support life, but they are not considered dead until they are warm and dead. Some of those we can get back. It led to our current protocols of deliberate induced hypothermia for cardiac arrest.
Well, when you’re dead you don’t really feel anything.
Waking up was...uncomfortable.
Happy to be here.
I don’t think we disagree.
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