On February 15, Dan Sutherland’s trip to the hardware store was cut short by a flat tire. Little did he know it was the beginning of a heart-stopping journey.

“The last thing I remembered was trying to loosen the lug nut on the tire,” Dan says. “The next thing I recall was waking up in the hospital three weeks later.”

Dan had suffered a massive pulmonary embolism. He has no memory of driving himself to Mercy Health — St. Rita’s Medical Center. Or his heart stopping several times upon arrival. Or being placed on emergency ECMO, a lifesaving machine that takes over the heart and lung function when a patient’s organs can’t work on their own.

But thankfully for Dan, your generosity helps provide St. Rita’s with the equipment, training and personnel needed to save lives during the most harrowing medical emergencies.

“If somebody’s wondering if their donations matter, they do,” he says. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it weren’t for donors.”

Dan is doing well today. It’s a miracle considering there was a significant chance he would never regain consciousness. Not only did he survive, but he has full physical and mental function. Dan’s wife Sahara hopes that funding can continue in order to provide similar care for patients.

“I can’t stress enough about how amazing this team is,” she says. “They took risks. They stayed late. They were straightforward, and they cared immensely. They kept our little world together. They allowed three young boys to keep their father and me to keep my best friend. They have become like family.”