May 10 started like any other day for Laura Machnik, who said good-bye to her 18-year-old son J.J. before she headed to work.
He was headed to work out at a friend's house that morning, and after she arrived at work, Machnik confirmed that he had made it there safely. Just minutes later, her phone rang. It was the mother of the friend J.
J. was visiting, calling with news Machnik had been dreading for years. At 14, J.
J. had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disorder that can cause sudden cardiac arrests. He was an active athlete and never had other symptoms of the disease, like shortness of breath or chest pains.
But shortly after beginning his workout alongside friends Trevor Hodgins, 14, and Giovanni Scafidi, 18, his heart stopped. "(She) called me and said 'You have to get to my house as fast as you can, J.J.
passed out on the treadmill,'" Machnik told CBS News. "All I said was, 'Does he have a pulse?' as I was running out the door from work ..
. knowing what was going on, I'm just like, 'OK, this is for real. This is it.
'" As Machnik drove over, Hodgins and Scafidi jumped into action, providing CPR and calling 911. When the first responders arrived, Hodgins and Scafidi told paramedics about J.J.
's diagnosis, so they could treat him immediately. His friends' rapid response and quick thinking helped save J.J.
's life, his longtime cardiologist said. From left to right: Trevor Hodgins, J.J.
Machnik, and Giovanni Scafidi after J.J.'s sudden cardiac.
