Brookhaven Deputy Supervisor Neil Foley, 58, expressed profound gratitude to the staff at South Shore University Hospital on Long Island for his survival after experiencing a life-threatening cardiac event in March. Foley, who coded three times and required defibrillation on each occasion, was revived by the medical team.

"Because of the professionalism here and the amazing work these men and women do in healthcare, I’m here," Foley stated during a recent event as part of Northwell’s Thank a Lifesaver Program. "I’m still a father of four, still married, and I’m still around, and I can’t thank them enough."

Prior to the incident, Foley played golf in Florida and then traveled to Albany for work. While in Albany, he experienced chest pains and sought care at an upstate hospital. Despite being advised against it, he checked himself out against medical advice, a decision he later called a "mistake."

"They called me back and said, ‘Your numbers are not good. You have to see a cardiologist,’ " Foley recalled. He delayed a follow-up appointment, feeling better at the time, unaware that his heart's condition could be intermittent.

Upon returning to Long Island, Foley experienced what he described as "the elephant on my chest" and realized he was in serious trouble. He was rushed to South Shore University Hospital, where he became conversational before suddenly collapsing. Dr. Alyssa Lorenzana, an emergency room physician, witnessed Foley code. "I watched him die in front of us," Lorenzana told The Post. "That is something I’ll never forget."

Interventional cardiac cath nurse practitioner Caroline Goss described the event as "a very dangerous and fatal event, which went completely through the entire muscle of the heart." Interventional cardiologist Luis Gruberg confirmed that Foley was shocked three times to restore his heart rhythm.

Foley underwent a procedure where he received three stents to open his blocked artery and was discharged three days later. Lorenzana and Gruberg emphasized that Foley's survival was a result of the team's coordinated and swift actions.

"It’s a big teamwork," Gruberg said. Lorenzana noted the significant impact Foley had on her, stating, "He looked at me. He said, ‘You’re my angel.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m not. There’s a lot of people who got you to this point.’ "

Inspired by his experience, Foley has been encouraging others to undergo medical testing. "I’ve had almost 10 people tell me since March, ‘Neil, without hearing your story, I would never have gone to the hospital – and you saved my life,’ " he said. He is also managing job-related stressors and family history, factors he believes contributed to his heart attack, and is receiving counseling for the trauma.

"I have to take care of my body first before I can take care of my work and everything else," Foley added.