WANGARATTA Magpies cricket champion Barry Grant will have pacemaker implanted following his near death experience on Tuesday.
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Doctors have confirmed Grant, 51, has an irregular heart beat since being taken to Melbourne.
Grant went into cardiac arrest around noon on Tuesday when he collapsed near a group of Wangaratta premiership players waiting for a bus to collect them to continue their Ovens and Murray flag winning celebrations.
They revived him with the use of a defibrillator in the Magpies’ clubrooms.
“I am forever indebted to them,” he said.
“I’ve been speaking to them a couple of times and they are glad I am on the mend.
“But I owe them a great debt as does my family.”
Speaking on Melbourne radio station, 3AW, Grant said there was a family history of high blood pressure, but he wasn’t feeling unwell at the time.
“I remember coming to and waking up and seeing the look on their faces,” he said.
“I knew something bad had happened.
“If they weren’t there I wouldn’t be here to tell the story.
“I wasn’t feeling ill or anything,” he said.
“I was just going about my day as I would normally do.”
Grant is expected to remain in hospital over the weekend where he will watch his AFL team Richmond take on Adelaide in the grand final.
LISTEN: Barry Grant speaks on 3AW below:
His sister Lynne confirmed Grant had secured a ticket to the grand final.
“A friend of his got him the ticket, but he won’t be going,” she said.
“What has happened to him is better than any win in a grand final you could possibly get.
“It’s amazing how everything has just fallen into place for him to still be with us.”
The Magpies players “shocked” Grant twice with the defibrillator to revive him after also beginning CPR.
He was at the ground helping prepare the wicket for the upcoming cricket season.
