Patient to Firefighters: "Thanks for Saving My Life"

What would you do when faced with a life or death situation? Firefighters and Paramedics only have a few seconds to make these tough decisions when responding to 911 calls.

Doctors say three firefighters with did all the right things at the right time, which helped save a Palm Harbor man's life. 

March 20, 2011 started out as a normal Sunday morning for 54-year-old Mike Blackstone. He remembers it was the first warm day of the year and he had just mowed his lawn and taken a shower, when he started having trouble breathing. That's when he realized something wasn't right.

Blackstone's wife, Cindy, was at the grocery store and happened to call him. She called 911 and a crew from PHFR Station 66 rushed to the couple's home. 

Firefighters say shortly after they arrived, Blackstone collapsed when trying to stand up, and then went into cardiac arrest. They performed CPR, and at one point had to shock him with a defibrillator. In a matter of minutes, firefighters had Blackstone loaded into an ambulance and on his way to . They refused to leave his side, riding with him in the ambulance. 

Blackstone's wife, Cindy says the staff at the hospital told her the situation was dire, "At one point, I did not think he was going to survive," she said.

But he did survive, and the hospital's doctors and nurses wound up nicknaming Blackstone "miracle man", which gives you an idea of just how life-threatening the situation was.

Cindy Blackstone says hospital staff told her that the decisions the firefighters made when they first arrived, helped save her husband's life. PHFR Spokesperson, Liz Monforti agrees, she also says the fact that the firefighters rode with him in the ambulance created a "continuity of care" that is very important in life-threatening situations.

The Blackstones wanted to express their gratitude to the firefighters, who they say gave Mike a second chance at life.  So, they arranged to stop by a recent PHFR Commission meeting to thank Lieutenant Mike Sakal, Firefighter-Paramedic Mark Harris, and Firefighter-Paramedic Matt Quinn in person.

There were plenty of handshakes and hugs and perhaps even a misty eye or two. Mike Blackstone told the firefighters he appreciates all they did for him, "You should be proud of yourselves," he said. 

The firefighters were humble, saying they were just doing their job. But, it turns out, this was a rare and special occasion for them. 

Because of HIPAA laws, firefighters rarely find out what happens to patients after they're taken to a hospital. They scramble and do everything they can to save lives, without ever really knowing the outcome.

This time, they finally got to see the end result of their split-second decision making. Mike Blackstone was alive and had a big smile on his face, which made the firefighters smile, too.

Said Sakal, "It feels really awesome."