A tribute to a dear friend and a great man!

[luvmyshiner]

Last Friday Mike Roberts, an old friend and an incredible lawyer suffered a massive heart attack in Court. His life was saved by an Assistant District Attorney and a Court Coordinator. Here is the original story from the Waco Trib:

"Courthouse employees scramble to help save life of Waco attorney Mike Roberts who collapsed

Saturday, November 08, 2008

By Tommy Witherspoon

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Fast action by some cool-headed courthouse employees Friday morning may have saved the life of a popular Waco attorney.

Michael B. Roberts, who apparently was running late, was seen scurrying across Washington Avenue toward the McLennan County Courthouse early Friday. Seated in 54th State District Court for routine pretrial docket call, Roberts began experiencing difficulty breathing and suffered an apparent heart attack as Judge Matt Johnson was calling a list of defendants.

Johnson singled out the calm responses of Assistant District Attorney Wayne Coughran, 19th State District Court assistant court coordinator Ellen Watson and the team of courthouse deputies for jumping in and helping the 60-year-old Roberts before fire department first responders and ambulance service paramedics arrived to take over.

Coughran and Watson, who both have previous emergency medical training, started CPR on Roberts, whom Watson said was not breathing and did not have a pulse when they began.

“We knew we had to do something for him,” said Coughran, who like most of the 50 or so people in the courtroom at the time, appeared shaken and somber afterward.

Watson said she learned emergency training after her son was hit by a car when he was 4.

She said she felt so helpless then that she took a course so she would be better prepared in emergency situations.

Courthouse deputies Sgt. Jimmie Channon, Jack Campbell and Donald Taylor rushed a defibrillator from their first-floor office to the third-floor courtroom as Sheriff’s Office investigator James Pack, a former ambulance company paramedic, rushed over from the courthouse annex to help.

The deputies shocked Roberts with the defibrillator about 10 times and then turned over his care to paramedics as Larry Courtney, a courthouse deputy and Baptist minister, led a group that included Roberts’ wife, Wanda, in a prayer.

Roberts was rushed to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition Friday afternoon. Later Friday night, hospital officials said Roberts was still in critical condition."

After spending the weekend on life support they were able to revive him. Today's article from the Waco Trib:

"After being removed from life support following heart attack, Waco attorney Mike Roberts asks for a cigarette and beer

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

By Tommy Witherspoon

Tribune-Herald staff writer

One of the first things Michael B. Roberts did after he was removed from life support Sunday was to say he could really go for a beer and a cigarette.

His family and those who know him were relieved to hear about his requests, which signaled that he is feeling better and has not changed much.

Roberts, a Waco attorney, was still listed in critical condition Monday in Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center’s intensive care unit after suffering a major heart attack Friday morning at the McLennan County Courthouse. Sheriff Larry Lynch Monday praised deputies and others at the courthouse who used CPR and a defibrillator to revive Roberts, who, one attorney said, initially had no pulse and was not breathing.

“We are just taking it slow and easy,” Roberts’ son, Troy, said Monday from the intensive-care waiting room. “He is doing better and doing some talking and moving his limbs somewhat. He is not on life support anymore, so that is a good thing.”

Roberts’ other sons, Marcus, Malcolm and Cory, and his wife, Wanda, are keeping a close vigil at the hospital, Troy Robers said. They are joined in spirit by Roberts’ courthouse family, many of whom inquired about him Monday morning."

Now you guys know why I love him so much. Mike's got a hard road ahead of him, but we'll be here to help him every step of the way. Send as much mojo as you can friends, he's gonna need it.

[just strum]

Been there, done that.

BTW, are you related to this guy? "After being removed from life support following heart attack, Waco attorney Mike Roberts asks for a cigarette and beer"

and one final comment, when I saw the subject I thought this was going to be about me.:

[just strum]

Oh, and don't take my comments the wrong way, you know I have a special place in my heart (no pun intended) for people that experience this sort of thing.

Humor is the best medicine. Go down there and make him laugh or send him this

[luvmyshiner]

Yea, yea, yea, I know what you're thinking. . . "who is that strange dude and what else does he stick up his nose???"

CB and I went over to see his wife Wanda on Friday night. CB also stopped in today to check in on him. He's very depressed right now and they're waiting for him to get strong enough for bypass. He has 70% blockage in four arteries, but Mike's the toughest SOB I know and he can make it.

[Childbride]

actually, i've been there three times, i went on saturday, too.

and i will go as often as i can, to help encourage him and be support to his family.

i have a candle lit for him, and pinkie swore to wanda that i would light one right after the other until he gets out of there. and he will.

he's one of the...

you know, there are lots and lots of wonderful people in the world.

sometimes, you run into people who just make your heart happy that you saw them that day.

he and his wife are like that.

please send mojo. they need it.

[just strum]

Yea, yea, yea, I know what you're thinking. . . "who is that strange dude and what else does he stick up his nose???"

CB and I went over to see his wife Wanda on Friday night. CB also stopped in today to check in on him. He's very depressed right now and they're waiting for him to get strong enough for bypass. He has 70% blockage in four arteries, but Mike's the toughest SOB I know and he can make it.

I understand the depression, it makes you realize you are not immortal. I remember I actually had myself convinced I would never die, now I'm just shooting for 900 years old.

He will be okay, the work they do with the heart, it's just amazing. Get his mind off the clogged arteries, tell him he has a bigger problem - tell him the heart only has three arteries and they will have to figure out where the fourth one came from.

Also tell him you know a guy in Ohio that had to get two stents and they had to go in through the crotch area. I knew my brain was in that area, but I was surprised to find out my heart was there too. I guess when I told girls my heart ached for them, I wasn't kidding.

[luvmyshiner]

Also tell him you know a guy in Ohio that had to get two stents and they had to go in through the crotch area. I knew my brain was in that area, but I was surprised to find out my heart was there too.

DAMN! Either way you look at it, the doc didn't have much to work with.:

[just strum]

DAMN! Either way you look at it, the doc didn't have much to work with.:

[duhvoodooman***]

Mucho mojo sent!! :

[warren0728]

sending major mojo to your friend and his family....

[bigoldron]

Prayers and mojo for your friend!

[sunvalleylaw]

Prayers and mojo on the way.

[Katastrophe]

Prayers and mojo sent.

[piebaldpython***]

Prayers and mojo for your pal. Yeah, ya just never know when that dude in the black cloak and carrying a sickle is gonna cut your legs out from under ya.

Very quickly, TWO days before my vacation in August, I had my blood pressure checked in work, just on a whim because I was talking to her about my daughter. WELL, I threw a 170/106 reading and WE were all like, Holy Crap!!! Saw my doc next day, got some BP meds (lisinopril) and went away. Come home two weeks later and saw the TOP heart doc in Philly. My BP was still high (160/100), he changed my meds and ordered a nuclear stress test. These meds worked and I passed the stress test perfectly last week. I was sweatin' bullets over that one.

Strum......dude, you wrote some FUNNY stuff.

[oldguy]

Prayers and mojo sent.
Best wishes and hoping for a speedy recovery for your friend.
6 yrs. ago I had to drive my (then) construction supervisor to the hospital....he didn't want to wait for an ambulance. He was having severe chest pains......and drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette as I flew down the interstate to the hospital.: Got him there and after the tests found out he had a 90% blockage! After surgery and rehab he was back to work in 6 weeks.........and feeling better than he had in years.: You might tell Mike that story if it helps........

[evenkeel]

Good thoughts and prayers to your friend.

Thank god someone was nearbye who knew CPR. It's not a hard thing to learn. If you're ever in a situation where you put the training to use you'll be very happy you took the course. Someone else of course will be even happier.

Thanks for sharing the story.

[PAPPY]

Prayers and thoughts are with him and his family.

[Guitar Gal]

Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery :

GG

[luvmyshiner]

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I didn't have the chance to go see Mike today, but word at the Courthouse is that he was able to sit up and eat breakfast this morning, and they think he'll be strong enough for surgery by Friday. They were very concerned that there might be some brain damage, but so far it's looking positive. He's recognizing and visiting with the people who see him, though he is having some problems with walking.

Oh, and he's still upset that his doctor won't bring him a cigarette or a beer.: