Cop Reunites With Lifesavers After Heart Attack At Newark Airport: SEE

NEWARK, NJ — James McFarland exercised every day. He trained in the martial arts. He served as a police officer. And that was partly why it was so shocking when he had a massive heart attack at Newark Airport last spring.

In June, McFarland – a police detective in Houston – was on his way home from a dream vacation in France with his family. They were passing through Newark when he collapsed at the airport baggage claim.

Luckily, a fellow passenger who happened to be an EMT performed CPR, and with the help of the Port Authority Police Department, they rushed him to the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

That’s when McFarland’s medical team realized how serious the situation was – his heart was functioning at only 15 percent. According to the hospital:

“Three of his four major arteries were completely blocked, and he had a leaky mitral valve. A multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, heart failure specialists and cardiothoracic surgeons quickly diagnosed his condition, and led by cardiac surgeon Dr. Persida Drotar, performed an emergency quadruple bypass and mitral valve repair.”

Today, McFarland is back to his normal routine: exercising every day, working as a police detective and spending time with his family, including his 13 grandchildren.

On Monday, he got a chance to reunite with the people who saved his life that day in Essex County, taking a trip back to Newark Beth Israel to say “thank you.” Watch a video of the reunion below.

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