When WJXT chief meteorologist George Winterling spent most of September in the hospital, the Jacksonville station shared virtually no information about his illness.
Now, in a multi-part sweeps series titled “George’s Miracle: What Really Happened,” WJXT is telling the story of Winterling’s apparent brush with death. It turns out that the veteran meteorologist’s heart stopped and paramedics spent two minutes shocking him to get his pulse back. Winterling then spent 11 days in a coma, with his body temperature reduced for much of the time to prevent further damage.
“My body was preserved–like frozen in time,” Winterling told WJXT’s Mary Baer about his time in a coma. “I just turned my life over to them.”
Winterling underwent open heart surgery and weeks of rehabilitation, according to WJXT. He’s visited the station since leaving the hospital and WJXT plans to have him back on the air for a special live segment on Monday morning.
Video of “George’s Miracle” is here. (WJXT’s video player doesn’t allow embedding).
[h/t NewsBlues]