Vincent Daignault

Vincent’s heart stopped beating in 2011.

On March 10, 2011, Vincent Daignault was 44 years old, had four children and a busy schedule. Vincent recalls how that morning, after dropping the kids off at school, he drove to work, parked the car and walked the few blocks to his office. As he entered the building at 1000 De la Gauchetière Street in Montreal, he began to feel discomfort in his legs, which spread to his chest, followed by tightness in the throat.

He decided to go home to rest. “But before I could even leave the building, I collapsed. My heart had stopped beating,” recounts Vincent.

“The Heart & Stroke was there for me when I was resuscitated and it became an invaluable source of information about fitness, diet, exercise and everything else I needed to know about rehabilitation after a cardiac event ”

vincent daignault

The building’s security staff quickly stepped into action, performing CPR before using the automatic external defibrillator (AED). “I was really lucky because the building had purchased an AED two months earlier and had just completed the employee training,” adds Vincent. Heart & Stroke recommends that all public places be equipped with an AED.

After that fateful morning, Vincent Daignault spent close to a week in hospital, including three days in an induced coma to stabilize his condition, let the heart rest and reduce the risk of brain damage.

One year later, Vincent was back at work, suffered no cognitive impairment and was simply happy to be alive. Today, his body functions at 80% capacity because that morning, one third of his heart was permanently damaged. “My name is Vincent Daigneault and I am living proof that donating to HealthPartners works.”