When Blaine Pogue’s heart stopped during a morning workout just days before Christmas, the odds were stacked heavily against him. In cardiac arrest, survival decreases by as much as 10% with each minute that passes without CPR or defibrillation — a reality emergency physicians at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) know all too well.
But on Dec. 23, 2025, everything that needed to happen did.
From bystanders who started CPR to a rapid EMS response to advanced, coordinated care at UTMB Health’s emergency department in League City, each link in the chain held, giving Blaine, 61, a chance not just to survive but to recover and return to his life.
“It’s a team effort. Bystanders, dispatchers, emergency medical services, and a highly trained emergency department working closely together can save lives,” said Dietrich Jehle, MD, chair of emergency medicine at UTMB. “That’s what it takes to have a successful outcome like this.”
A routine morning
Blaine woke up that morning feeling fine and grateful for a day off from work. He thought about how to start his day and decided to head to the gym.
Just after 9 a.m., he walked into the gym in Dickinson and began his usual routine: 10 minutes on the treadmill, followed by the arm bike, an upper-body exercise machine.
“Everything was fine. I was just going through my regular workout,” he said.
He remembers nothing after that.
A sudden collapse, and bystanders step in
Across the gym, Dickinson resident Luis Velasquez heard a sudden thump.
“I thought someone dropped a weight, which is not unusual in a gym,” he said. “Then I turned around.”
Blaine had collapsed, and his torso was on the floor while his feet were still partially on the machine. Velasquez initially thought he might be resting, but within seconds, it became clear something was terribly wrong.
“I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I need to check on him,’” Velasquez said. “I had no idea what to do. He wasn’t conscious, and he was barely breathing.”
Another man working out nearby, Daniel Ammons, an off-duty Dickinson police officer, moved quickly to help.
“I was just doing my own workout, listening to music, and suddenly I saw someone standing by a machine and a man on the ground,” Ammons said. “I ran over and called 911. Dispatch was ready to walk me through CPR, but I had already started it.”
The two men moved quickly, lowering Blaine flat to the floor as Ammons began chest compressions.
“I was thinking, this is not good,” Ammons said. “He was turning purple.”
In cardiac arrest, those first moments are critical.
“Every minute without effective CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival,” Jehle said. “Early recognition and immediate action make all the difference.”
Fighting for a pulse
Ammons began CPR immediately. After several minutes, he told Velasquez to take over compressions.
“He told me, ‘Push hard!’” Velasquez said.
“He was barely breathing, and I was so nervous,” he said. “I’ve never been trained in CPR. I held his head while Daniel pumped his chest. Then he said, ‘Your turn! Pump him hard!’ And I said, ‘My turn? I don’t know how to do this!’”
Ammons coached him, telling him to keep pushing.
“I was just praying and doing what he told me,” Velasquez said.
They rotated, pushing hard and fast, as they waited for emergency responders. Within minutes, Dickinson Emergency Medical Services arrived and took over.
“I knew he was in good hands when EMS got there,” Ammons said.
Dickinson EMS Chief Robert Robbins said the call reporting a cardiac arrest came in at 9:26 a.m.
“Two ambulances were dispatched within three minutes. Crews arrived by 9:33 a.m. and began advanced resuscitation,” he said.
Cardiac arrest requires a coordinated response. Firefighters also assisted, helping manage the intensive workload as crews worked to save Blaine’s life.
EMS deployed a LUCAS device, a mechanical system that delivers consistent, high-quality chest compressions when the heart has stopped. As it compresses and recoils, it helps circulate blood through the body, which is critical when the heart is no longer effectively pumping.
On the cardiac monitor, Blaine’s heart showed ventricular fibrillation, a chaotic rhythm in which the heart quivers erratically, instead of pumping blood forward.
“The only way to correct that rhythm is with an electric shock,” Jehle said. “The goal is to reset the heart’s rhythm.”
Dickinson EMS delivered two shocks and administered epinephrine, working to restore circulation. He required another shock and additional medication in the ambulance.
The race to UTMB Health
Blaine was transported to UTMB Health League City. He arrived about 11 minutes later. An emergency department team was ready to take over resuscitation.
The transition from the field to the hospital is one of the most critical moments in cardiac arrest care.
“The key lifesaving actions in a case like this typically include immediate, high-quality chest compressions, rapid rhythm recognition, defibrillation when indicated, airway and oxygen support, and appropriate medications,” Jehle said. “Most importantly, EMS provided continuous resuscitation and got him to definitive emergency care quickly.”
A life saved against the odds
Even with everything done right, the outcome was far from certain.
Blaine’s heart had effectively stopped for 34 minutes.
“It didn’t look good,” Robbins said. “We did not get a return of spontaneous circulation at the gym, which is usually not a good sign.”
In more than three decades in EMS, Robbins said he can recall only a handful of cardiac arrest patients who survived to leave the hospital.
Weeks later, he received an email from Blaine’s wife, Cheryl. Blaine had survived and returned home on New Year’s Eve.
“That was a very good surprise,” Robbins said. “This is one case we will always remember.”
Jehle said that even in prolonged cardiac arrest, excellent CPR with minimal interruptions can preserve brain function, which explains how some patients might be able to recover despite very slim odds.
Recovery and reflection
Blaine has no memory of the collapse or the effort to save him. He learned what happened days later after waking from an induced coma. He believes that what happened to him was a miracle that began with the prayers of the witnesses to his collapse.
“There was no warning, and I didn’t feel anything before it happened,” he said. “I was dead for 34 minutes.”
Doctors warned his family to prepare for the worst.
He later received an implanted defibrillator and underwent cardiac ablation to treat the electrical issue that caused his heart to stop, likely triggered by an abnormal rhythm known as a premature ventricular contraction (PVC).
By late February, he was back at work full time, and not long after, he returned to his regular workouts at the same gym.
“I’m not done here,” he said. “I have a new lease on life. I grew up pretty tough. I thought I was bulletproof. I wasn’t worried about anything, but this really opened my eyes. I realized I need to make some life changes and pay more attention to certain parts of my life.”
He said he is not worried about another episode.
“What happened to me could not have been stopped,” he said. “That’s why I have this device in my chest. If it happens again, it will shock me, and if I feel off, I will sit down or pull over.”
He now makes more time for what matters.
“I have 11 grandchildren, and now I make more of an effort to see them,” he said. “It opened my eyes that everything could be over so fast.”
He noted that both his father and grandfather had similar heart conditions and died suddenly.
“You think you will live forever, but you won’t,” he said.
The chain that saved him
Blaine knows his survival came down to a chain of events — each one a critical link.
“If one thing had been different, I would not be here,” he said.
The combination of a nearby ambulance, two strangers willing to act, skilled EMS, and a UTMB Health hospital team ready to continue the highest quality of care without a moment’s interruption is why Blaine is alive today.
What began as an ordinary morning became a fight for life — one that depended on a system built to respond when every second matters. From the gym floor to the emergency department at UTMB Health, every link held, reflecting the coordinated, high-level care required to turn cardiac arrest into a survival story.
And against the odds, it worked.