On March 17th, two days before his 16th birthday, Tyler Toth rode the bus to school like he does everyday. But on this day, the teen never made it to school.
The student went into cardiac arrest, and his heart stopped beating. The bus driver found Tyler and called for help.
Tyler's mom, Tracey says,"I hear that they had to shock his heart 5 times. 5 times is a lot for a 16-year-old."
Even though Tyler's heart stopped beating for 22 minutes, he managed to stay alive. "The first thing I remember was being in the hospital and wondering why I was there," Tyler said.
Tyler spent the following months learning how to move, talk, and walk again. And in mid-May he left the hospital with a big going-away party.
Tyler is proving that he can overcome any obstacle. He left the hospital in a wheelchair and 2 days later he was up and walking by himself.
Tyler is happy to be home with his family and his dog, Bear. But just because he's home, doesn't mean the hard work has stopped. "He still goes to physical therapy everyday for 3 hours a day, it is still as intense as at the hospital," Tracey says.
Tyler has his good days and his bad days. But his mom says every minute with her son is special. And since Tyler's accident, the Toth family says they're not wasting any time telling one another how much they care.
Tracey says, "the first words out of his mouth were, 'I love you Mom.' I said I love you too. I miss the simple things in life like that."
"It was kind of weird because I used to tell my mom that all the time. But ever since then it was the first time saying I loved her," Tyler says.
It is still unknown why Tyler went into cardiac arrest. Tyler's younger sisters are now being tested for any heart problems, so they can be sure this never happens to the family again.
