Why Emotional Healing, Closure, and Cardiac Emergency Preparedness Matter More Than Ever

🕯 A Return I Never Planned — But Deeply Needed

6.5 years ago, I walked into a beautiful resort with my husband and two little girls, excited for a peaceful New Year’s holiday full of joy and reunion with the whole family.
But I never walked out.

That night—January 1st, 2019—my heart stopped.
Literally.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest changed my life forever.

This month, I went back to that place. The place where I died… and came back. Club Med Lake Paradise, in São Paulo, Brazil.

I was invited by VIMO, a company with a beautiful mission of improving cardiac emergency response, training and teaching proper CPR and obviously, saving lives. I’m proud to represent VIMO as an ambassador. Club Med also invited me to give a motivational speech to their team. I thought I was going there to give… But in truth, I was the one who received.
So much more than I ever expected.
❤️‍🩹 I received healing. I received closure. I received a divine moment I didn’t know I still needed.

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👫 Not Just My Story — Our Story

This time, I brought my husband with me. He was the man who brought me back to life with his bare hands. The man who never got to close the chapter either.

From the moment we stepped onto the grounds, it didn’t feel like a vacation. It felt to me like visiting a cemetery where something sacred had happened, like my body was still there

There were emotions, the flashbacks, the gratitude, the trauma—it all came flooding in.

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🗣 Sharing the Pain… and the Purpose

During my talk to Club Med employees, I poured my soul out. My husband opened up telling the story I didn’t remember, but he couldn’t finish it, emotions were strong, and he started sobbing. All he wanted to do was to congratulate them on their preparation and thank them for their pivotal role in saving my life.
I shared our story of survival, resilience, and rebirth. I shared about my journey, my book Heart of Hope and towards the end I asked employees if they had any questions or comments.

And then, something beautiful happened.
A woman named Thais stood up. She shared that because of her CPR training, she had helped save the life of a young child on the street.
💔💪 This is what it’s all about—paying survival forward.

The entire team listened with their hearts. Their culture of care, empathy, and hospitality didn’t just show in their work with guests—it showed in their souls.

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🏨 The Tour That Turned Into Therapy

After the speech, Club Med staff took us on a tour of the resort. We revisited spots where we had laughed with our girls. Where we danced. Played. Hugged. Where life felt full.

Then, we stopped in front of an AED on the wall. Not just any AED.
The very one that shocked my heart back into rhythm. The machine that kept me alive.

I couldn’t breathe for a second. I placed my hand over it, this abstract machine, something I’ve seen in trainings and taught others to use so it can help save others lives. Except in this case—I was the one who was saved.

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🚪 The Door That Had Never Closed

As a final gesture, we casually asked if it was possible to identify the number of rooms we stayed in.
I didn’t expect much, all we wanted was to go back to the hallways. But being Club Med, they went above and beyond.

Miraculously, the room was vacant. The same one where my daughters fell asleep that night… And where I almost never woke up again.

They brought the key and offered if we wanted to visit. We stepped in slowly. At first, we recognized it as my parents’ room. Then we passed through the interconnecting door… And stood in that room.

The one where my heart stopped. Where my husband performed CPR on the floor. Where our world tilted forever.

He pointed to the bed. The spot on the floor. But I didn’t need him to.

Because I already knew. I had seen it—from above. Yes… I had an out-of-body experience that I’ve never fully shared. Until now.

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😭 Forgiveness, Love, and Divine Closure

I broke down. I sobbed like I hadn’t in years.

I whispered, “I’m sorry for all the pain I caused.“

But my husband, the man who had once fought death for me, just hugged me tight and said:

“There is nothing to apologize for. I’m just so grateful we’re here. Together.”

We prayed. We breathed. We held hands. And for the first time…
We walked out of that room together. With peace. With healing. With the closure we never had.

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🚑 Preparedness Saves Lives

Before leaving, we asked the medical team if there had been another cardiac arrest on-site since mine. They said no. I was surprised… but it didn’t matter.

What mattered is that they were ready.
That they had trained.
That they had invested.
That they had saved me.

And for them, that was enough.
💥 It made every class, every dollar, every drill worth it.

That moment reignited my mission.

VIMO and Club Med Lake Paradise Leadership: All ready for CPR

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🌟 A Full Circle Moment

6.5 years ago, I arrived at that resort and didn’t walk out. This time—I walked out smiling, holding my husband’s hand, tears streaming down my face.

I walked out with gratitude, not fear.
With healing, not trauma.
With purpose, not confusion.

Thank you, Club Med Lake Paradise, for being an example of what true preparedness, compassion, and follow-through look like. You didn’t just save a guest. You gave a family their mother, wife, daughter back.
You helped me close a painful chapter—with dignity, grace, and heart.

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💓 What I Learned

🌿 Healing is not always loud. Sometimes it’s walking back into the fire, just to find peace.
⚡ Preparedness isn’t just policy—it’s hope with a heartbeat.
🙏 Closure doesn’t erase pain, but it transforms it into strength.
💝 Your pain can be someone else’s Miracle

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💌 Final Words

To every organization, resort, school, gym, and workplace reading this:
💥 Be ready. Train your team. Have an AED. You’ll never regret saving a life.
To every survivor or family member:
🕊 When you’re ready… go back. Revisit. Breathe. Heal.
It may just be the most powerful thing you ever do.

With love,
Jana Bonassi
Founder of the Heart of Hope Movement, Author of the Heart of Hope Book
Cardiac Arrest Survivor, Wife, Mother, Advocate