Daulton Abernathy might well have died last week. Died cursing heartburn.
But as he sat at home south of Ukiah, rubbing his chest and terrifying his wife Linda— on their 35th wedding anniversary — there happened to be a firetruck rolling up his road. With two paramedics aboard.
When Abernathy’s breathing and heartbeat stopped, the four-legged stool he sat on tipped forward but didn’t topple and fling him onto the floor. Under even slightly different circumstances, this would likely be an obituary for the 66-year-old Umpqua Bank loan officer.
“He’s been reborn,” Linda Abernathy said.
The evening of Nov. 19 the two of them were at their place on Old River Road, preparing to bag and freeze Costco tamales. A pained look came over Daulton’s face.
“I have really bad heartburn,” he told Linda. She quickly feared it was something worse.
She told him to sit on one of the stools a few feet away. Moments later, his head dropped back. His wife saw two or three jolts undulate his chest.
Linda dialed 911.