What happened?
De Silva said on race day, he was feeling fit and was running well, but started to get “a little stiff” during the last 4km of the 21.1 km course.
He said he finished the run in a time he was happy with alongside friends from his running group.
After the event prize giving, he said he began to feel a bit “weird”, and, shortly after, he felt a few sharp pains in his chest.
“I diverted to the first aid tent because I thought I’d just get checked out,” De Silva said.
He said he sat down in the tent, passed out and was coming in and out of consciousness.
When he fell off the chair, he said he also tore his rotator cuff muscles on his right shoulder off the bone.
A fit and active Auckland father, doing what he loved, had to be revived seven times after suffering a heart attack soon after completing a half-marathon. Photo / Supplied
“They revived me quite a few times. It was like I think seven times.
“They brought me back, and then my heart would stop again, and then they would revive me again and then stop and revive and stop and revive,” he said.
He said it was exhausting for his body, especially after running a half-marathon.
De Silva said his friends were shocked by the incident because they saw him as being fit and healthy, and he had no previous heart conditions.
Jerome De Silva with running mates after completing the half-marathon. Minutes later he collapsed. Photo / Supplied
De Silva said he spent 15 days in hospital and had stents put in both sides of his heart. One was put in on the left and two on the right.
He said last Sunday he went home for three days, but started to feel breathless on the second day.
“I was just brushing my teeth or something and started to feel a bit sick and dizzy, then called out to my wife, and, by the time she got there, I was kind of passed out on the floor again,” De Silva said.
He said he was then admitted to Middlemore Hospital again, where he remains as he recovers.
Jerome De Silva suffered a heart attack and has been in hospital since last month. Photo / Supplied
De Silva said he was continuing to try to process what had happened, but was thankful he was in the “right place at the right time”.
“Because I was fit, I think that’s one of the reasons my heart could carry on even though it was fluttering in and out,” he said.
De Silva said being near the easily accessible first aid tent potentially saved his life.
“If I wasn’t right there where I was, I wouldn’t be here now … It’s only because I got immediate help as opposed to waiting for someone to come.”
Financial hardship
De Silva owns a company called DeSilva Massage and Health, where he specialises in sports and remedial massage.
Because he is not able to run the business during his recovery, he now has no source of income.
“I was super busy at the time that this all happened. So I’m just a bit worried about people going elsewhere,” he said.
Friends on social media following the incident have said De Silva has spent years helping others through pain and injuries with his specialised massage work.
“Those who know Jerome know the kindness, compassion and generosity he brings to everyone he meets. His work has always been about helping people heal, feel better and get back on their feet,” a friend wrote.
De Silva said he has also recently bought a home with his wife and their children, and what should have been a joyful new chapter quickly became a time of uncertainty and financial strain.
The money raised through Givealittle will be spent on getting his basic needs met, such as paying mortgage repayments, living expenses and utilities.
He said the support received from the community and health workers so far has been “phenomenal”.