A Placerville man will be skiing again this year after a serious heart attack nearly took his life several years ago.

It was seven years ago. Paul England was on a ski lift at Alpine Meadows. 

"I just noticed I was really out of breath and I thought, 'Man, I am really out of shape," England said.

Then came the strong chest pressure. It was a heart attack – the one they call the "widowmaker."

Amazingly, ski patrol just happened to be at the top of the lift. 

"They asked me, like, two questions and they knew I was having a heart attack," England said.

The damage left him in heart failure and has affected his daily life the past few years. 

"My wife noticed I wasn't taking naps. I wouldn't just fall asleep," England said. "That's the hardest thing about heart failure; you just get incredibly fatigued."

Paul was desperate. And after scouring the internet, found out about Barostim: the world's first neuromodulation device for heart failure. 

"It doesn't replace the medications, it complements the medications," said Dr. Munir Janmohamed with Dignity Health.

Dr. Janmohamed is a cardiologist at Dignity Health Mercy General Hospital. He says the device is implanted in the carotid artery and is attached to what's called "the generator."

"When it sends an impulse to this bare receptor, it helps restore the good and bad hormones, improving symptoms for heart failure," Janmohamed said.

Paul, now 69, feels great. He admits he can't quite ski like he used to, but says it's amazing he can at all.

"Just pulled the trigger [on a ski pass] about two weeks ago."

Dr. Janmohamed says, if you have heart issues, check with your doctor to see if you're a good candidate for the Barostim device some other treatment.