


When Virginia man Jeff Geraci suffered a heart attack behind the wheel, he praised the Lord when he later realized he’d crashed near a cardiologist’s office.
It was August when Geraci, who was driving home from a gym in Virginia Beach, lost control of his car, WTKR-TV in Virginia reported on Sept. 18.
Just before the drive, the 64-year-old had been doing some cardio at the gym.
But when he finished his workout, he had second thoughts about the trip home.
“I sat in the car because something didn’t quite feel right. Sipped some coffee, and I was going to sit there and close my eyes for a few minutes. But instead, I decided to drive home,” Geraci said.
While on the road, he stopped breathing.
“The confusion when I woke up with things in my arm and people running around, it was like a dream, a muddled dream, and foggy,” he said. “I asked the nurse what happened, and he said, ‘You have a heart attack. You crashed your car.’”
Geraci didn’t hit any other cars, but he impacted a sign before coming to a stop in a parking lot.
When a Virginia Beach driver had a heart attack behind the wheel, the heroic actions of a @sentarahealth cardiologist saved the man’s life. Read more about this remarkable story from @WTKR3:https://t.co/h23zruuau7 pic.twitter.com/yEh87G9JFc
— VHHA (@VirginiaHHA) September 22, 2025
Fortunately, he crashed near the office of Sentara Cardiology Specialists.
Not only that, but the clinic’s head doctor was nearby.
“Clinical Chief of Cardiology, Dr. Deepak Talreja, just happened to arrive at work early that morning and heard the loud crash as he walked into his office. He was first on the scene, delivering CPR for more than 8 minutes. If it weren’t for Dr. Talreja’s quick actions, he would not have survived,” Sentara Health wrote in a Facebook post on Sept. 19.
Geraci shared his story because he wanted to give the glory to God.
“It’s such a testimony of God’s greatness, of all the things that had to happen to keep me alive,” he told WTKR-TV. “I’m blessed. It’s a miracle. God was there, and thank God Dr. Talreja was there.”
Along with some diet changes, like quitting alcohol, Geraci wants to live better, now that he’s been given a second chance.
“I got an opportunity to come back, so there’s got to be a reason,” Geraci said.
“And every morning, I pray and think about, if I’m here, I need to be doing more than I was doing… Try to be a better person every day. Try to make everybody smile every day. Try to be an example for my family and warn them and friends,” he said.
“It’s wonderful. I mean, it’s a miracle.”
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