Lifesaving care from a team that didn't give up 
Matt's heart attack story

“There is not a single day in my life that I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘you could be a heart attack victim someday’ — it just was not on my radar.”

A young executive in his early 50s, Matt Ropchak, Eden Prairie, has always prioritized his health and wellness through a healthy diet and daily exercise.

On Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, Matt started his day like any other, with a workout. Due to some back pain, which is not completely unusual for Matt as he had a fusion surgery 15 years ago, he decided to cut his workout short and continued on with his day. By late afternoon, that pain in his back returned, this time accompanied by numbness in his left arm. Matt did what many would do when something seems off — he Googled his symptoms.

The next thing he remembers is waking up on Sunday in a hospital surrounded by unfamiliar people. With no memory of how he got there, Matt was told he had suffered a heart attack.

A second chance from a team that cared

With his wife Amanda’s help, Matt was able to piece together the incredible events that brought him to this point.

The afternoon of Dec. 27

After feeling that second wave of back pain and looking up his symptoms online, Matt expressed his concerns to Amanda. They decided to 'play it safe’ and Amanda drove Matt to the nearest emergency department. On the way there, Matt began feeling lightheaded and faint. As they pulled up to Ridgeview's Emergency Department (ED) at Two Twelve Medical Center in Chaska, Matt went into cardiac arrest and lost consciousness. With no pulse, he was clinically dead.

For 45 excruciating minutes, Amanda anxiously waited while the ED team performed lifesaving CPR on Matt.

“They didn’t want to give up,” Matt said. “That’s the part that gets me the most. Some people cared enough — they cared enough to keep fighting. It’s because of them that I’m here today.”

A smooth recovery

After 45 minutes of CPR, the ED team successfully restored Matt’s pulse. He was then transferred to Abbott Northwestern Hospital where he had two stents placed in his heart to reopen his blocked left anterior descending (LAD) artery, otherwise known as the “widow maker” artery. After a week at Abbott, Matt returned home, eager to get back to his day-to-day routine.

With only 6% scar tissue on his heart and no cognitive impact from the event, Matt’s recovery has been remarkably smooth. “As each day passed, I could tell my stamina and energy levels were returning, but I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to do everything that I used to be able to do as quickly as I wanted,” Matt said.

A new-found perspective on preventive care

Matt is grateful for the lifesaving care he received and the team who kept fighting for him. “Doing your day job — the way you’ve been trained, with commitment and not giving up — really mattered for me. I just want to say thank you, and do it for the next person who comes in.”

Reflecting on his experience, Matt has gained a new perspective on the importance of preventive care. “I wish in April of 2024 when I was at my primary care appointment that I would have asked about additional testing to identify potential health risks — I didn’t know to ask those questions,” Matt shared.

“I learned so much from this experience and I hope that by sharing my story, other people can learn from this too.” Matt shares his advice below.

Advice from Matt

1. Proactive beats reactive. Ask questions and invest the time to get preventive testing done.
2. Be prepared, don't gamble. Consider where you are in relation to emergency services. “Had we chosen to go elsewhere or been far from an ER, I’d likely be dead.”
3. One wild and precious life. Matt’s third takeaway is inspired by the famous quote from poet Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

For Matt, experiencing a heart attack was a call to action — to have purpose in life and to ensure his time with loved ones is even more precious.

Take Matt’s advice and be proactive with your health. Coronary artery calcium scoring is the single best test to determine your risk of a future heart attack. To schedule, call 952-777-4471; no referral is needed.