Sport
Fabrice Muamba had no heartbeat for 78 minutes
It took until Monday for the former England under-21 international to start breathing independently again and speaking.
Dr. Andrew Deaner, a cardiologist and Tottenham fan who was at the game Saturday, left his seat and rushed onto the pitch to help Muamba.
“If you’re going to use the term ‘miraculous,’ I guess it could be used here,” Deaner said. “He has made a remarkable recovery so far.
“Two hours after regaining consciousness, I whispered in his ear, ‘What’s your name?’ and he said, ‘Fabrice Muamba.’ I said, ‘I hear you’re a really good footballer’ and he said, ‘I try.’ I had a tear in my eye.”
The cause of the cardiac arrest is yet to be discovered. The doctors revealed that Muamba had undergone a routine screening for heart defects in August. He was checked again on Sunday, with the test producing a “normal” result.
It is too early to say if he will ever return to action.
“As things stand, his life is not in danger at this time,” Deaner said. “It is early days so it is not possible to say if he will play again.”
