Boston police officer's heart stopped for 45 MINUTES and he lost all of his own blood after he was shot by the marathon bombing suspects - and he's expected to recover
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Recovery: Officer Richard Donohue, 33, was critically injured in an early morning shootout with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects
A Boston police officer who was shot and wounded during a firefight with the marathon bombing suspects lost all of his own blood and his heart stopped for a terrifying 45 minutes before his was resuscitated, doctors say.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Officer Richard 'Dick' Donohue Jr., 33, is now expected to make a full recovery, according to his surgeon, Dr. Russell Nauta.
Donohue, a husband and father, was responding to a call for assistance at the scene of a shooting at the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he exchanged fire with the suspects and was shot in the leg.
The bullet severed his femoral vein and artery, causing rapid blood loss, doctors said.
It's not clear whether Donohue knew at the time that the MIT officer whom the suspects had shot and killed was his friend, Sean Collier.
'CPR was started in the field, and he required a prolonged resuscitation that started at the scene and at our emergency room,' Dr. David Miller, a critical care doctor at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, said during a briefing at the hospital.
Nauta later explained that Donouhue's heart had stopped for more than 45 minutes before doctors were able to restore his pulse.
Meanwhile, the officer had lost all of his own blood so doctors had to perform transfusions to replace it. Eventually a surgical team was able to stop the bleeding in time to save his leg.
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Heroes together: Donohue, left, and slain MIT campus officer Sean Collier, right, pose together for a photo at their graduation from the Municipal Police Officers' Academy in 2010
Tribute: Collier and Donohue were both honored by residents across Boston for confronting the terror suspects
Family's support: Nicole Collier Lynch, sister of slain MIT police officer Sean Collier, hugs a Wellesley police officer during a vigil at the Town Common in Wilmington, Massachusetts, on Saturday
Donohue was in critical condition on Sunday, but able to wiggle his fingers and toes. Doctors are optimistic that he will make a full recovery and be able to walk again.
'Signs are positive and we are hoping for a speedy recovery,' said Edward Donohue, the officer's brother.
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ShareThe brother also explained how the injured officer loves his job.
'He loves being a cop — we were just talking the week before about how much he loves the job,' Donohue said.
He and his brother's wife, Kim, and the couple's 6-month-old son, Richie, have stayed at the hospital since the shooting, he said.
Grieving: The family of slain MIT police officer Sean Collier grieves at the Town Common before sharing and honoring his life with hundreds of others who turned out to pay their respects
Forever remembered: MIT police officer Sean Collier, 26, was just months away, weeks even, from joining the Somerville Police force on June 3
Richard Donohue and the slain MIT officer, Sean Collier, graduated from the police academy together in 2010.
A photo released by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shows the men in uniform as they graduated, and Collier has his arm around Donohue.
Collier's body was returned to his hometown of Wilmington, Mass., on Saturday.
The bombing suspects had shot him multiple times in his police cruiser on Thursday night, setting off a manhunt that ended in one suspect's death.
Turn out: Hundreds of people turned out to pay their respects to Collier, 26, was shot multiple times in his car on Thursday night
Thank you: Lisa Marriott and her son, Joseph, hold a sign and candles for Collier expressing their thanks for his service
Collier was just weeks away from joining the Somerville Police force on June 3.
'He was ecstatic,' Somerville Deputy Police Chief Michael Cabral told a huge crowd who gathered in his hometown to remember him.
Collier had interned with the department as a teenager and paid his way through the police academy.
'His dream was coming true,' Cabral said. 'As you know, that dream was crushed.'
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