Newport’s Got Good News

Imagine feeling under the weather, heading to bed, and then—bam—you’re clinically dead for 8 minutes. That’s exactly what happened to 53-year-old Grant Williams from Newport.

One minute, Grant  was cruising through mile 11 of a training run, the next—bam—he was waking up in an ambulance to paramedics telling him, “You were dead for just over eight minutes.”

Yes, you heard that right. Eight. Whole. Minutes.

The fitness instructor from Newport suffered two cardiac arrests, with his heart stopping twice. Lucky for him, two off-duty doctors—Dr. Mel Hamilton and Dr. Joe Clarkson—were in the right place at the right time, jumping into action to keep him alive.

After a quadruple bypass (yes, quadruple), weeks in the hospital, and months of physical and mental recovery, Grant had every reason to hang up his running shoes. But nope—he’s doing the exact opposite.

This year, he’s running the Newport Marathon.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Even after doctors gave him the green light, doubt crept in. Could he actually do it? But after everything he’s been through, he’s decided to give life everything he’s got.

“I just have a different outlook on things now,” he says.

And honestly? That’s the kind of energy we all need.

From dead for eight minutes to marathon finisher—Grant’s comeback story is one for the books.