On an ordinary March morning, Matteo Urella set out for what he thought would be a day of inspiration and art. The father of four had traveled from his home in Grafton, Massachusetts, to Manhattan to see a world-class art exhibition. By nightfall, his life would hang in the balance on a bustling New York City sidewalk.
“I got there around 10 a.m.,” Urella recalled. “It was an incredible exhibit. I took lots of photos and had a wonderful time.”
But by 6 p.m., he had collapsed—suffering sudden cardiac arrest.
It could have ended there. But it didn’t.
A stranger saw him and didn’t hesitate. They called 9-1-1 and began chest compressions for CPR. When emergency responders arrived, they delivered two shocks to restart Urella’s heart before rushing him to the hospital. He would spend the next two days in a coma, followed by 10 days in and out of the ICU.
Doctors later diagnosed him with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic heart condition that had gone unrecognized and undiagnosed.
“I was in great shape,” Urella said. “I had no signs or symptoms—I never knew.”
He now lives with an implanted defibrillator that monitors his heart and can deliver a life-saving shock if needed.
But it’s not just the technology that saved him—it was the preparedness and courage of a stranger.
“When I was in the ICU, I kept thinking about how critical it was that the person who saw me knew CPR,” Urella said. “They were willing to do something because they were prepared, and it gave me my life back.”
That moment of action—of choosing to help—has become a rallying cry for Urella. He now advocates for CPR training and awareness, urging others to be ready when it matters most.
And the numbers back him up: According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the U.S. each year. If CPR is performed immediately, it can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. Yet, only about 40% of those who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive bystander CPR before professional help arrives.
“There’s a quote I like: ‘Never walk past the problem,’” Urella said. “That bystander took this to heart. They saw someone in need and took action. They saved my life.”
Urella’s message is clear: Learn CPR and be prepared by joining the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers.
The American Heart Association is a worldwide leader in first aid, CPR and AED training – educating more than 22 million people globally in CPR each year.
If a teen or adult suddenly collapses, witnesses should immediately call emergency services and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute and a depth of at least two inches. The Association encourages everyone, regardless of where they live, to take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.
“If you stay ready, you never have to get ready,” Urella said. “Would you know what to do if someone collapsed in front of you? Would you keep walking? Or would you be the reason someone gets to go home to their family?”
For Matteo Urella, the answer to that question made all the difference.
This June, Urella will share his story as the featured survivor speaker at the 2025 Central Massachusetts Heart & Stroke Walk on June 7—a powerful reminder of how one person’s readiness can change the course of another’s life. Learn more about the event at CentralMAHeartWalk.org.