Syracuse Heart Walk Inspirational Honoree: Steve Gorczynski

Steve Gorczynski
Steve Gorczynski

“CPR saves lives. I’m living proof that you don’t need to be an expert, you just need to do something.” That’s the heartfelt message from cardiac arrest survivor Steve Gorczynski.

Steve was just a few days shy of his 55th birthday when his heart stopped last summer. He had been feeling some acid reflux in the months beforehand, but he got checked out and everything seemed fine.

“I don’t remember what happened that day, but my family has filled me in,” Steve said. His family told him he woke up and only made it a few steps out of bed before falling to the floor.

“I’m one of the lucky ones,” Steve said. His wife was in the next room and heard him fall to the ground. She immediately called 911 and a dispatcher coached her through CPR.

“We had not done any CPR training since our son was born 28 years ago,” Steve said. “She practically had no experience, but she had a good 911 operator.”

Emergency responders arrived on scene quickly and continued CPR. Steve had to be shocked twice by an automated external defibrillator (AED).

At the hospital, the medical team immediately went to work to clear the blockage and put in a stent. Steve’s body took a while to adjust to the stent, so he also had a temporary pacemaker installed in his chest.

“I think it took me until the second or third day to stabilize and ultimately come out of it,” Steve said. “After that point, it was kind of an accelerated recovery, strangely enough. I really don’t remember much until the fifth day.”

Steve spent his birthday in the hospital and was discharged on the eighth day. Thanks in part to the immediate help he received, there was minimal damage and no scarring on his heart muscle. Steve was up and walking quickly, then walking a mile within a week. An occupational therapist worked with him for a few weeks to help retrain his brain for some simple tasks.

Steve went back to work at M&T Bank about seven weeks after his cardiac arrest, working back up to a full-time schedule. Since his incident, M&T Bank held a series of CPR demonstrations to help educate employees and spouses at locations in the Syracuse and Utica areas. Steve’s neighborhood even took part in a CPR demonstration to help save lives.

Steve’s message is simple.

“CPR is doable. Using an AED is not overwhelming,” Steve said. “If a single life can be saved because of my experience, that’s what I’m about,”

Steve is sharing his story as the 2025 Syracuse Heart Walk Inspirational Honoree. You can learn more about the event and register at www.SyracuseHeartWalk.org.