02/23/2026
80-year-old North Texas grandmother survives massive blood clot, credits CPR, quick action during heart month
By Amelia Mugavero
February 22, 2026 / 4:34 PM CST / CBS Texas
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An 80-year-old North Texas grandmother is sharing her survival story during Heart Month, crediting quick action, CPR and advanced medical care with saving her life after a massive blood clot caused her heart to stop.
Linda Potthoff of University Park says she had been short of breath for weeks before her condition suddenly worsened.
"I was laying in bed, I couldn't get up," Potthoff said.
She told her husband to call 911. At the hospital, doctors determined she had suffered a saddle pulmonary embolism — a large blood clot lodged at the base of her lungs that blocked blood flow to her heart. During treatment, her heart stopped.
"They did 45 minutes of CPR on me," Potthoff said. "Broke six ribs."
Physicians later confirmed the clot had covered both her lungs and heart, preventing her from getting oxygen. Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Andres Leal and his team placed Potthoff on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, machine, which temporarily acts as an artificial heart and lungs.
"I think it's a miracle that she made it, number one, because of her age," Leal said.
