- JJ Machnik nearly died after his heart stopped for at least a minute during a routine training session in May
- But the quick thinking of his friends and teammates saved his life, according to his doctor
- Now they’re sharing the story of Machnik’s rare genetic condition and the CPR training that averted tragedy
In May, high school wrestler JJ Machnik hopped on the treadmill at his teammate’s house for a routine workout — and five minutes later, the 18-year-old went into cardiac arrest.
His teammate’s mother called 911, and JJ’s teammate and the teammate’s younger brother performed CPR until 911 arrived.
Without it, JJ would not have survived, says his doctor.
“His friends saved his life,” Dr. Matthew W. Martinez tells PEOPLE.
“JJ was for all intents and purposes dead. His heart stopped for at least a minute or two,” says Martinez, director of sports cardiology and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at Morristown Medical Center.
The New Jersey teenager, for his part, says it all “happened so fast. It doesn’t feel real.”
In 2017, JJ’s father, Jeff Machnik, was diagnosed with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease in which the heart muscle becomes thickened, which can make it harder for the heart to pump blood.
“We had the kids tested, everything was fine,” says JJ’s mother, Laura Machnik, 46, who does payroll for a construction company. But two years later, when JJ, then 14, had an abnormal EKG, he too was diagnosed with HCM.
Genetic heart disease affects about 1 in 500 people, according to the American Heart Association, but many people don’t know they have it because they don’t show symptoms.
JJ had no symptoms and was considered low risk. He was able to wrestle all four years in high school, serving as team captain in both his junior and senior years. “Our friends knew, anyone who was around JJ knew,” says his mother. “Just in case.”
Two weeks before his 19th birthday, on Friday, May 10, JJ and teammate, 19-year-old Giovanni Scafidi, went to practice to prepare for a postseason wrestling tournament in Atlantic City that evening. JJ usually carried a defibrillator with him, but this time he forgot to bring it with him.
They practiced at the house of Marlane Hodgin, whose older son wrestles with JJ. He was at school that morning, but she says she has a “wrestling barn” with weights, mats and treadmills, so teammates stop by regularly.
At 7:30 a.m., Hodgins was upstairs in her home in Howell, New Jersey, getting ready to join the boys at the gym when she heard JJ fall.
“It was a very hard fall,” Hodgins, 44, recalls. “I could tell he didn’t just stumble on the treadmill.”
She heard Giovanni yell JJ’s name – and knowing JJ had a heart problem, she called 911 as she ran down the stairs.
“I got to the exercise room and JJ fell. I can still hear him trying to breathe in that moment,” she says.
From left: Laura Machnik, JJ Machnik, Charli Machnik and Jeff Machnik.
Laura Machnik
While she was talking to the dispatcher, her 14-year-old son, Trevor, came down and worked with Giovanni to roll JJ over and off the treadmill. “We tried to get him out of the corner he was in,” Trevor tells PEOPLE. “Mom kept yelling at me: ‘Is he breathing? Is he breathing?’ I thought it wasn’t anymore. Me and Gio stopped to listen and he wasn’t breathing, so I just started CPR.”
Trevor was doing chest compressions, telling Giovanni when to take two breaths. They performed three rounds of CPR when the police arrived with a defibrillator and took over.
“It was crazy,” says Trevor. “It was a lot.”
Trevor’s father, Steven Hodgins, is a New Jersey State Trooper and CPR instructor. Two years ago, he taught all three of his children how to do it.
“They are called accidents for a reason. Nobody ever knows when something is going to happen,” says Trevor.
After his cardiac arrest, JJ was given a pacemaker that doubles as a defibrillator, to spare him from future close calls. Although he celebrated his last birthday in the hospital in mid-May, he is recovering well as he continues physical therapy and overcomes some physical limitations.
“He’s doing great,” says the doctor.
JJ graduated from high school on Thursday, June 20th. He had planned to wrestle at Delaware Valley University this fall — but he postponed it, his mom says, and will attend a community college while he recovers.
“He’s just trying to get back to normal. He still can’t raise his arm above his head,” says his mom. “He has a way to go.” A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.
JJ’s doctor emphasizes that “chance” is when and where a cardiac event would occur. JJ says he’s thankful he was with friends who knew what to do.
“If I was anywhere else, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” he tells PEOPLE. “It’s really a miracle. I don’t know how else to put it into words.”
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Source: HIS Education