Jonathan Cedillo credits his infant daughter with saving his life with her early arrival that in turn placed him in the right place at the right time.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 2, 2021. It has since been updated.
Bringing a life into this world is nothing short of a miracle. It is a blessing that parents swear to cherish and protect for as long as they are alive. A doting father in California had the same thoughts when he and his fiancée welcomed their newborn daughter. But little did the father, Jonathan Cedillo, know that his baby would end up being his guardian angel. Cedillo credits his infant daughter with saving his life with her early arrival that in turn placed him in the right place at the right time.
According to CW affiliate KTLA, the father had arrived at the Riverside Community Hospital earlier last month as his fiancée, Vanessa Sandoval, went into labor earlier than expected. While catering to her and their newborn daughter Juliette, the medical staff happened to notice that something was seriously wrong with Cedillo. Thankfully, they were able to treat him just in time. Apparently, he had been experiencing shooting pain in his shoulder and a few other symptoms of a heart attack which he was unaware of.
The shocking incident took place on October 11, just three days after Sandoval gave birth to a healthy girl, according to a press release from Riverside Community Hospital (RCH). That day, the Jurupa Valley resident had arrived at the hospital to pick up Sandoval and their daughter when he began feeling "a terrible pain in his chest." It was so severe that he had to lie down on an extra bed placed in Sandoval's room. "He lost consciousness briefly and Vanessa's nurse, Brittney, knew something was wrong," revealed RCH.
It noted how Cedillo became unconscious many times and even exhibited "shallow" breathing. At one point, he stopped "breathing for a few seconds altogether" and had to be rushed to the ER by nurses. Eventually, reports of his vitals and lab work suggested that he was suffering a heart attack and that his left anterior descending artery was completely (100 percent) blocked. The RCH revealed that the man had been "feeling really bad and achy" since a day before the fateful incident. Cedillo, who is a professional wrestler, also had some trouble sleeping because of the pain in his shoulder and arm.
A series of events — Juliette coming early and her release from Riverside Community Hospital being delayed — put Jonathan Cedillo in the right place at the right timehttps://t.co/4XvoeH97iK
— KTLA (@KTLA) November 1, 2021
But at the time, he assumed that the discomfort was the result of a training injury he had sustained on his shoulder a few months ago. At the time, he felt "a lot of pain in that area" and even went to a chiropractor. However, the pain continued to "come and go, sometimes lingering for days." Cedillo kept ignoring the symptoms thinking that his shoulder pain was because of the injury and thought the same when it happened again before picking up his family from the hospital. This time, his condition had deteriorated immensely but thankfully he was exactly where he needed to be when things got worse.
"[Juliette] saved me, and I will be her sentinel and guardian as long as I can," claimed the father. "She was born a month early. It was like, 'I've got to get out of here so I can save my daddy.'" As for RCH, they explained, "Had Jonathan not been at the hospital when this occurred, he would have had permanent heart damage, or worse" and noted that doctors were ultimately able to clear the blocked artery and put in a stent. Understandably, Sandoval was left extremely worried about her partner's condition but was glad that he was at the hospital when he collapsed.
"It was very scary, and then to be told that he's in the ER and he's having heart attacks and he has been having heart attacks [due to a] 100 percent blockage, it's a good thing he was at the hospital when he was having his major heart attack," she shared according to PEOPLE. "He probably would've passed away [at] the house, possibly by himself or even later that night." After recovering in the hospital for a day and a half he finally went home to Sandoval and Juliette on October 13.
References:
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/premature-infant-saves-dads-life-in-riverside/
https://riversidecommunityhospital.com/about/newsroom/baby-born-at-right-time-saves-fathers-life
Cover image source: Instagram | Riverside Community Hospital
