Arizona man survives heart attack at 14 thanks to specialized heart pump

SURPRISE, Ariz. - An Arizona man got a chance to meet the team that saved his life. Without their specialized heart pump, this would be a tragic story.

What we know:

Playing a video game is a perfectly ordinary moment for a 21-year-old. But Anthony Rojas savors every moment, no matter how small, because he should not have them.

"They told me my coronary arteries turned into aneurysms," Rojas said.

The backstory:

Before spending a day walking his dog, Rojas was a 14-year-old kid in Arizona with a cold that was not clearing up.

"I was sick for about a week," Rojas said. "My mom kept taking me back and forth to the hospital."

He was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which damaged his heart. A month later, he had a heart attack.

"It was like the movies, where you go in through the double doors in a hospital and the white light shining, and it ends like that's exactly how it ended for me," Rojas said.

What they're saying:

Dr. Hursh Naik of St. Joseph's Hospital recalled the critical moment during treatment.

"We decided, because he was basically about to die on the table, that we needed to pump his heart for him," Naik said.

Naik and St. Joseph's Hospital had not used an Impella pump on a teenager before, but they were out of time.

"It's the difference between life and death, and I'm not saying that facetiously," Naik said.

Life Today:

It worked. Rojas lived and is thriving. He spent his 21st birthday with his girlfriend hiking in the Grand Canyon.

"Hiked all the way down the next day and all the way up in one day," Rojas said. "12, 13 hours. A long time. But it was the most surreal moment."

It was surreal because the moments of a happy life very well may never have happened.

"They pretty much saved me without their device," Rojas said. "I pretty much would have different whole new heart and a whole new set of problems that come with it or just be not here. Which is crazy to think about."

Dig deeper:

The team that made the pump flew Rojas to Boston for a patient summit to meet the creators.

"Without him, who would have thought of it and then, if they did think of it, it would have been a day later and wouldn't have been there for me or any other," Rojas said.

Why you should care:

His doctor is also thankful for the pump and cherishes the moments shared with Rojas.

"There's still a lot more years I get to see him grow up," Naik said.