DOCTOR SHARES HOW HE BECAME PERMANENTLY BLIND AFTER MASSIVE HEART ATTACK. (PHOTO).

 Doctor Shares How He Became Permanently Blind After Massive Heart Attack

In August, 40-year-old William Lubinsky went for a mile-and-a-half run in his Denver neighborhood, expecting nothing more than a typical post-run stretch.

Instead, he found himself in a life-or-death situation. As he cooled down outside his apartment, Lubinsky began experiencing cramps and sweating profusely. At first, he blamed the 90-degree heat. But when a cold shower left him feeling weak, he called 911.

First responders suspected a panic attack. But as an emergency room physician, Lubinsky knew something far more serious was happening.

“I think I’m having a heart attack,” he told them, describing shortness of breath, chest pressure, and a family history of heart disease and high cholesterol.

An abbreviated EKG performed by the EMTs appeared normal, but it provided only a partial picture. He was rushed to the hospital.

“I got into the ER and I told them my name, that I was an ER doc, and that I think I’m having a STEMI, a severe life-threatening heart attack,” Lubinsky recalls.

Within a minute of arrival, he coded and required immediate resuscitation. He went into cardiac arrest a second time and endured more than an hour of both manual and device-assisted CPR. Lubinsky believes this is when his optic nerves were irreversibly damaged.

The medical emergency was far from over. He was taken to a cardiac lab for a heart catheterization, where doctors removed a long string of blood clots and placed stents to restore blood flow. He also needed a massive blood transfusion and was given less than a 5% chance of survival.

Lubinsky survived the ordeal, but his eyesight did not. He is now legally blind.

At 41, he is working to regain independence and adjust to life with vision loss. He hopes to enroll in a nine-month blindness training program at the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB), which teaches the skills necessary for independent living.

But the program comes at a cost of up to $5,500 a month. Funding is available through the participants’ home states, with the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) covering some costs for eligible residents.

Hoping to qualify for support, Lubinsky began the DVR application process in Fall 2025.

He quickly encountered obstacles. “DVR told me things are somewhat disorganized now due to funding issues and staffing issues,” he said. “Before I had even been evaluated in person, they said there was no funding for people who did not already have an implemented plan.”

DVR declined to comment on Lubinsky’s case specifically. A spokesperson noted that the agency contracts with CCB “when it’s necessary, appropriate, and the most reasonable cost to support an individual’s employment goals.”

Nearly 80% of DVR’s funding comes from federal sources, with the remainder from state and local funds. Colorado’s federal grant decreased from $63.7 million in 2025 to $54.9 million in 2026 due to an increase in the state’s per capita income, which has limited available resources.

To manage these constraints, DVR prioritizes individuals with the most significant disabilities, placing others on a waiting list.

“While demand continues to grow, our resources remain fixed,” the spokesperson said. “The waitlist process will ensure we continue to be the best stewards of these fixed resources as possible. 

DVR continues to provide services to individuals with an approved plan for employment, accept applications and provide necessary assessment to determine eligibility and provide pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities.”