With his mother, Heather, and the doctors who saved his life by his side, Craig Cunningham held his first press conference Wednesday since his heart stopped before a Tucson Roadrunners AHL hockey game on Nov. 19.
He thanked the first responders, the doctors, the nurses and the outpouring of support he's received both locally and from the hockey world in his recovery.
His professional hockey career may be done but that he was there at all to discuss it was nothing short of a miracle.
"As of right now, I think I'm probably done [playing professionally]," Cunningham said, meeting with the media at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. "We'll see when I get back from rehab how it goes. At the level I was playing at, we'll see how it goes."
Cunningham patted his mother's shoulder for support as she thanked the efforts of everyone along the way who refused to give up on her son, including over 85 minutes of CPR treatment.
He received an advanced life-saving procedure called ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), reserved for the most life-threatening conditions. A procedure developed by Dr. Zain Khalpey is credited for the recovery of his heart.
"The only reason he survived the original incident was the continued refusal to give up in a seemingly hopeless situation," Heather Cunningham said. "These people are nothing short of a gift to mankind. I will remember the gift they have given me every time I look at my son."
One of the first conversations Khalpey had with Craig Cunningham began with a warning. He told him he was going to have a tough time in recovery.
"He said, 'Bring it on,'" Khalpey said. "That epitomizes who he is."
The 26-year-old Cunningham said he has no memory from anything that happened on the day he collapsed on the ice. His last memory is from the weekend before. He called recovery a grind, one that is now becoming more mental than physical while recovering in the same room. The expectation is that he could be discharged before Christmas.
Khalpey said they still aren't sure the exact reason why Cunningham went into ventricular fibrillation, causing his heart to stop, but they will continue to investigate it.
"It's been an incredible adventure. We're really happy to see Craig sitting at the end of the table down there," said Roadrunners GM Doug Soetaert. "He has a full life ahead of him. All we can do is wish him the best and thank everyone for their commitment and for saving his life."