How a healthcare video saved my life.
In May of 2024, my family and I took a trip to Amsterdam.
We ate Dutch apple pie, took a canal tour, and went on a bike ride through the countryside.
It was a terrific getaway… until I had a heart attack.
PHOTO: this was taken during an 18-mile bike ride through the Dutch countryside only a few hours before my heart attack.
I’m not kidding.
I had chest pains at the VRBO where we were staying. We called emergency services right away, the operator sent paramedics, and they confirmed it was the real deal.
I’ll share the details, but as you might know, every minute is critical during a heart attack. The fact I recognized the warning signs so quickly saved my life.
And do you know what I have to thank… a video.
Seriously.
The healthcare video producer, saved by a video. I’ll explain.
In September of 2023, I once again spoke at Content Marketing World. I love the event, and I always stick around to attend the conference after my presentation.
PHOTO: Content Marketing World 2023 in Washington, DC.
CMWorld usually features a celebrity keynote, and in this case the director/actor Elizabeth Banks was there. She talked about despite directing and starring in movies, one of the projects she’s most proud of is a PSA she produced for the American Heart Association. It’s focus is providing women with the warning signs of having a heart attack.
Now, I was not the target audience for the video, but it stuck with me, especially some of the symptoms like arm pain and tightness in the jaw. That was new to me.
Flash forward to my family vacation.
We brought lunch back to our Amsterdam VRBO one day, and all of a sudden my jaw and chest started to hurt at the same time.
My wife and I had the same reaction. It’s probably just indigestion. After all, one of the things I had for lunch that day was a Dutch specialty, raw herring, pickles, and onion.
For the record, I’d stick with the Dutch apple pie if I were you.
Joking aside, I don’t meet any of the typical risk factors for a heart attack. I’m too young, eat well, and exercise three to five times a week.
However, remembering the video, I told my wife I think we should call 911… 112 in the Netherlands, thanks Google!
Best move I have ever made.
I told the emergency operator my symptoms, and she said she was sending paramedics right away.
After a few tests and a mobile EKG, the paramedics were hauling me out of the apartment window on the fourth floor since the stairs were too narrow for a stretcher.
By the way, I was asking my wife through the whole thing to take photos and video. She snapped some pictures, but stopped short of shooting video. I can’t imagine why.
Sure, I might die, but I’m a professional public speaker (tonygnau.com) and a content marketer. I’m a VIDEO guy! I knew this was going to be a great story to share.
PHOTO: yes, the Dutch paramedics sent me out the fourth floor window.
I’m not overstating this. That video saved my life.
Had I not seen that video, I can assure you, I would not have called for an ambulance. I would have gutted it out. Give me some Tums. I’ll be fine.
If I had done that, I wouldn’t be here right now.
I got into the ER so quickly, doctors were able to clear the blockage, and I didn’t even sustain any permanent heart damage.
However, it was a wake-up call for something more serious. I have diffuse coronary artery disease. I’ll spare you the Google search, it’s not good. In my case, it’s genetic, but we’re catching it early enough that I should be okay.
Again, I learned all of this because I was at Content Marketing World and saw that video.
PHOTO: I took this picture of Elizabeth Banks moments before she showed the AHA video. Put your camera down Tony and pay attention, she’s about to save your life!
Now, I’m not suggesting every video you produce has the potential to save someone’s life. Maybe none of them do.
The point is how powerful video can be for recall. As an audience member, I saw that video eight months prior, but I was able to remembered it when minutes mattered.
I love text-based content. Clearly. It’s a huge part of my own content strategy. But do you think text-based content would have had the same affect on me in that situation?
Of course, my friend Ahava Leibtag from Aha Media Group argues that healthcare copywriting can be just as impactful. She told me so as soon as I published this blog post on LinkedIn.
I do agree that text is impactful, and we need to be sharing our stories through multiple formats. Having said that… video is special.
In this case, I remembered the jaw tightening symptom because of how Elizabeth Banks’ character in the video moved her jaw around like something felt wrong.
My own jaw pain coupled with the chest pain triggered my memory of that moment in the video.
Lucky for me, but that type of visual cue is one of the reasons video is so powerful as a communications tool.
It can work for you and your company/organization as well.
Whether it’s a PSA for something important like heart disease, something more commercial like promoting a product/service, or management delivering an important message to the team/employees.
Video is quite simply one of the best ways to get your audience to pay attention, soak in your content, and recall it later when it counts. That might be at the moment they convert to a subscriber, choose to become a customer/client, or need to call 911.
You can take my word for it.
