Survivor of heart failure bikes across country to thank doctors

PLYMOUTH, Minn. (KMSP) - It was twelve years ago when Bob Quick's heart stopped beating. Paramedics in his hometown of Roy, Utah were able to revive him, but Quick's life would be forever changed.

"The very first paramedic that saved me, his exact words were what do you want me to tell Julie and the kids?" said Quick. "I was dead for three and a half minutes."

Today, he is kept alive by an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) developed by St. Jude Medical. Much like a pacemaker, it manages a normal heartbeat.

"Thanks to everyone here, I'm still alive, we're kicking!" he said standing among employees at St. Jude Medical's Plymouth campus.

Quick cycled from Cannon Beach, Oregon to Plymouth to thank the employees who he says keep his heart beating.

"I do push the body, I want to see what it can do, because imagine the people it will help down the road," he said.

Quick's journey will take him coast to coast, ending in Montauk, New York sometime in October.

He's also riding to raise awareness for autism. With the donations he collects, he will buy iPads for children with autism.

To follow Quick's journey, you can visit his website.