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Former ER Nurse Suffers Seizure, Receives Life-Saving Treatment

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Kevin Gough doesn't remember much from that morning last November when he suffered a seizure while driving to work.

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Kevin and Shannon Gough (credit: CBS)

"The only thing I remember barely is telling [my wife Shannon] that I feel like I'm having a strong déjà vu," Kevin recalled.

He doesn't remember getting behind the wheel, nor getting in the accident.

"I veered off the highway and ran into some trees and a fence," he said.

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(credit: CBS)

Kevin was hospitalized for a broken and dislocated shoulder. Shannon had no idea what had happened.

"I didn't even know that he was there for probably two hours because he was so confused and he couldn't figure out how to get his phone unlocked to call me," she said.

Kevin was soon transferred to Swedish Medical Center. He and Shannon met there when the two were ER nurses together.

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(credit: CBS)

"We met with Dr. Guber and determined that probably the cause of the accident was due to his heart valve," said Shannon.

Kevin's aortic valve should have had three flaps, but he was born with only two.

Cardiothoracic Surgeon Myles Guber used Kevin's echocardiogram to explain.

"Early on there's no symptoms, but as the narrowing gets worse they get fatigued, they get short of breath when they exert themselves and then the last thing that happens is they start passing out," Guber said.

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(credit: CBS)

That's what they believe caused the seizure which lead to the accident. Routine open heart surgery replaced the valve and saved his live.

"I really felt like everyone was hugging us and giving us the support that we needed to get through this and that's just an incredible feeling when you're scared," said Shannon.

"Just thank you, thank you for everything," said Kevin.

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