Durwyn Wlliams got to meet those rescuers Friday afternoon. He hugged everyone on the team that saved his life. With tears in his eyes, he remembered the day that he came close to death.
He'd just turned 51 when he told his wife, Dava, that he had severe chest pain. She called 911 and when EMTs arrived, his heart stopped beating right in front of them.
They shocked his heart 14 times to bring him back to life.
"Without these guys, I wouldn't be here today," said Williams. "And I'm truly grateful. But it all started with (Dava), making the phone call and getting them there. "
"After 40 to 45 minutes, usually they pretty much end it at that point, but they kept going and I think they worked extra hard because he told them he wanted to make his 52nd birthday and they told him they wanted him to do that," Dava Williams said.
Dava used to be a shock trauma nurse and knew how close he came to death. At the hospital, he had emergency surgery. Then his body was cooled, to protect his brain.
Without the early CPR and fast 911 response, he would have been dead before he got to the hospital.
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