Funny as a heart attack: Stand-up comedy audience saves man’s life
Drew Lynch’s journey into stand-up comedy came out of necessity. Following a tragic accident, he transitioned from a burgeoning acting career in Hollywood to telling jokes — laced with personal experience — on stage. “I tried an open mic, and I was like, ‘I’m not good at this at all,’” Lynch told Straight Arrow News, recalling his first performance. “I definitely found that it was not for me. I was a huge fan of stand-up, but never was like, ‘I want to pursue it.’” Lynch moved to Los Angeles at 18 and was making inroads in his first year in Tinseltown. He said he had secured an agent and manager and was taking auditions and meeting with casting directors for network shows like "How I Met Your Mother" and "Mad Men" — the biggest hits of the time. A Fluke Grounder“I was on a recreational softball league, and a freak accident happened where a grounder that went sideways hit me in my throat, and I fell and hit my head on the ground,” said Lynch, who is now 34. “The impact of that head injury basically caused me to stutter and lose control over my speech and motor skills. I couldn’t get hired anymore as an actor anywhere.” He felt hopeless. “Having that happen — it felt like my whole life was just ending,” he told SAN. “I never felt like I would know what my future looked like, and this was just going to be my reality forever. I was just going to be a guy who worked a ticket booth, talked slowly and let my family down. I let myself down.” As his acting options disappeared, stand-up became an outlet to talk about his struggles with stuttering. “I tried to find some joy in performing and some relief in knowing that I could talk about what happened to me,” Lynch said. “And going on stage was really how it all began.” Stand-up comedy became a way to take control of his performances in a way he hadn’t before. Of course, there’s no such thing as complete control. Medical EmergencyThis September, as Lynch stood on stage at the Spokane Comedy Club, a man in the audience — Dick Wende — suffered a heart attack. “I think I was maybe 12 or 15 minutes into my set,” Lynch said. He told SAN there had been situations in the past where “someone passed out from heat stroke” or was “alerted by their medical dog,” but nothing like what unfolded that night. “I was probably the last to react, and that’s embarrassing to say,” he admitted. In a video posted to Lynch’s YouTube account, the camera stays mostly fixed on the comedian. But medical professionals in the crowd can be heard giving CPR to the man. “There were two or three people helping him to the ground, and someone announced they were starting CPR,” Lynch said. Lynch said he was heartened by how everyone in the club jumped into action to save a stranger’s life. “Other people were monitoring vitals,” he said. “People cleared a path, moved furniture aside. Someone dialed 911. Someone moved their car from in front of the club so paramedics would have space. They worked on him for five minutes — he had no pulse for over five minutes.” It was terrifying. Tense. Those five minutes felt like hours, Lynch recalled. Breaking throughLynch is no stranger to rallying his patience. His stutter often delayed punchlines. “It was interesting how a stutter teaches you how important word economy is — how important it is to get to the funniest part in as few words as possible,” said Lynch, who told SAN he believes his stutter made him a better writer. “You can say the first part of a sentence and then, at the last moment, say one word or even a syllable that changes where people thought it was heading. I found that recipe very alluring. I love the science behind stand-up.” As Lynch improved as a performer and communicator, he broke through on NBC’s "America’s Got Talent" in 2015. “Howie [Mandel] was one of the judges for my audition, and he hit the Golden Buzzer, which advanced me to the live show,” Lynch told SAN. “After he did that, it changed my life. All of a sudden, I was walking down the street and people were like, ‘Hey, I saw you on TV — you were that guy that cried.’ And I was like, ‘Yep, that’s me.’” He said the show was crucial for him because, aside from showcasing talent, it also told contestants’ stories. Lynch finished second in the show’s 10th season after ventriloquist Paul Zerdin edged him out in the finale. But the exposure from "America’s Got Talent" helped him grow his audience, especially through social media. “I was uploading videos and vlogs that took me hours to work on,” he remembered. “It was a whole third job. I worked at a comedy club, I did shows, and I filmed and edited videos to post on YouTube. “By the time AGT rolled around, I already had a backlog of content. So many people found me and wanted to keep up that way.” Plenty has changed in the years since his appearance on the show: His star has risen and his stutter has improved. But he still feels a tangible connection to crowds that have become invested in his story. Special meaningIn Spokane, Lynch found himself worrying not just for Wende, who suffered the heart attack, but for the scores of folks around him. “I was so scared for him — and for what it would mean to these people to experience going to a show where someone dies and doesn’t come back,” he told SAN. According to the American Heart Association, 40% of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital receive bystander CPR — and just 9% survive. But the crowd’s coordinated effort worked. Wende was revived before the paramedics arrived. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Lynch said. After paramedics whisked Wende to the hospital, Lynch faced the unenviable task of finishing the show. He returned to center stage. Eyes back to him. “I literally have the hardest job in the world now — and that’s mostly what this is about,” he said that night in Spokane, fighting back tears. “You guys really came together in a cool way. You saved that guy’s life.” After the commotion, Lynch said he regained composure and finished the show. “It allowed the show to mean so much more — at least to me, and maybe to others as well,” he said. “It stressed the importance of community and why comedy is this vehicle that connects people.” After the show, Lynch said club staff told him Wende had left his walker behind when paramedics rushed him out. “He didn’t have a choice — he left in a stretcher,” Lynch joked. “He wasn’t like, ‘Forget that walker, I want to be airlifted everywhere.’” Wende’s family planned to pick up the walker the next day, but Lynch offered to bring it himself. “I said, ‘I’ll go bring it to him. I’ll sign it — I just need his name,’” Lynch said. “The club owner told me his name was Dick, and I was like, ‘Okay, well, I think I’ll just sign my own name.’” The next day, Lynch and his openers visited Wende in the hospital, spending a few hours joking and talking. Wende, it turned out, had a special connection to Lynch — he was a career speech therapist. “With my history of stuttering and how much I worked with my speech therapist, I have this whole appreciation for him,” Lynch told SAN. “He’s donated over 50 years of his life to speech therapy. That’s service — you’ve given your life to make other people’s quality of life better.” Lynch said he and Wende still text and talk regularly. “It was really special,” he said. “This is what comedy is supposed to be — fun, easy, and another way to connect.” Since the video went viral, Lynch said his shows have felt “really special.” “So many people saw the video and signed up for CPR after seeing what good it can do,” he said. “That’s what I care about.” The post Funny as a heart attack: Stand-up comedy audience saves man’s life appeared first on Straight Arrow News.
