Antonietta Marotta, 55

San Casciano dei Bagni, Italy

June 30,2021

Antonietta Marotta was visiting friends at their home in San Casciano dei Bagni, Italy, when she started to feel unwell. Just as the group was heading out to visit the nearby Sanctuary of Santa Rita, she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

“I don’t remember anything,” Antonietta says, “except that [before collapsing] I was very sweaty and couldn’t see well.”

Antonietta was lucky. One of her friends, Dr. Fabio Manganelli, was a retired radiologist who recognized the urgency of the situation and took action immediately.

“I recognised the dramatic situation that had manifested itself in a matter of seconds,” he says. “I remained calm and clear-headed and had the determination to act.”

Recalling that there was an AED near his house, Dr. Manganelli sent his wife to fetch it while he performed CPR on Antonietta. When the AED arrived, they placed it and continued delivering compressions. By the time the emergency responders arrived, Antonietta’s heart had resumed beating and she had been resuscitated.

Thanks to Dr. Manganelli’s quick response and the proximity of the AED, Antonietta recovered with no lasting effects. Her advice to others?  “Learn how to use the defibrillator and be ready.”

“I consider myself lucky, not a hero. Having an AED [near] my home made the difference in saving [Antonietta’s] life.”

Fabio Manganelli, rescuer