Imagine being a wrestling coach and former world-champion wrestler who experiences a heart attack in the middle of practice. That’s the story of Mark Marshall, who was an assistant coach at Seton Hall University. His story, from cardiac arrest through triple bypass surgery to full recovery, has generated a fantastic tale of teamwork beginning with his wrestlers and ending with the cardiothoracic team at Excela Westmoreland Hospital. Coach Marshall was working out with one of his heavyweight wrestlers when he suddenly stopped moving and collapsed to the mat. Seton Hall head coach Brian Tucker and a freshman wrestler immediately began CPR cycles on the unresponsive coach. Someone called 911 and the wrestlers even blocked the road to allow medical staff and an ambulance to get to their coach swiftly. “The entire university community is grateful for the quick response and heroic efforts of the coaching staff, training staff and the wrestling team,” said university spokesperson Jennifer Reeger after the November 2017 incident. “These efforts resulted in saving Coach Marshall’s life.” Fortunately, he was also transported that day to Excela Westmoreland Hospital and into the care of cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark M. Suzuki. Westmoreland Hospital holds the highest ranking in the state, region, and nation from the Society for Thoracic Surgery and CareChex for cardiac care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOPLDe5Zwtg “Once I started putting the story together, I was quite amazed,” explains Dr. Suzuki. “The more amazing thing was just how well his group of wrestlers teamed up to help him out. It’s very similar to the team we have in cardiac surgery. It’s not just me; it’s a team of people who help get everyone better.” Coach Marshall realized the quality of care he was receiving the night he met Dr. Suzuki, while waiting for his surgery to be scheduled. “Dr. Suzuki was absolutely amazing,” he recalls. “He probably spent an hour with my wife and me. His exact words, I remember, were, ‘Mark, I’ll stay here all night and talk to you if you want.’ As soon as he said that, I knew this was the guy, this was the guy I wanted in my corner.” Coach Marshall knew what he was talking about. The CareChex 2018 Awards cites Excela Health’s heart attack and heart failure treatments among the top 10 percent in the nation. Overall hospital care garnered the same recognition, and their Cardiac Care division was rated #1 in the USA. Unaware of such accolades and stoic by nature, Coach Marshall feared he would lose the ability to live his previous lifestyle, beginning with coaching, the highlight of his day. Dr. Suzuki had no intention of letting that happen. “There is nothing worse in my opinion than taking someone’s passion and saying, ‘No, you can’t do what you love,’” states Dr. Suzuki. “The reason we do the operation, the reason I do what I do every day, is to allow people to resume the lifestyle and activities that make life worth living.” The night after surgery, Coach Marshall had more than Dr. Suzuki in his corner. The entire Seton Hall wrestling team, 30 men in total, were in his recovery room. After the surgery, Dr. Suzuki’s pride matched that of the wrestling coach after a win. “I am proud of the team that I have, just like he is proud of the men that he coaches,” Dr. Suzuki says. “The real heroes in Coach Marshall’s case were his wrestling team.” Just three weeks after surgery, Mark Marshall returned to coaching and to training for this spring’s 2018 National Veteran Wrestling Championships.