'You guys saved my life': N.S. man pays tribute to first responders
Nearly five months after suffering a cardiac event, a fortunate Maritimer has been reunited with the first responders who saved his life.
On Oct. 2, 2021, Dan Eddy was working in his backyard. After lifting a couple of heavy cement blocks, he began to feel some pain.
“I said, ‘I must have just pulled a muscle or something,’ and I went over and grabbed the other one, about 75 feet away, and I made it to the stairs with that one and then I immediately collapsed on the stairs,” said Eddy.
“The joke in our family is my wife never answers her phone, but I called her from my cell and said, ‘Can you come up? Something’s wrong, I’m in trouble.’”
Eddy’s daughter then called 911.
“The 911 operator was very calm and kept her calm. Within just a few minutes, the paramedics were at my door,” said Eddy.
“My first thought was, ‘Wow, they were here really quick.”
Paramedic Heather MacEachern says she had been dispatched to a call in another part of Fall River, N.S., that day which did not require transport.
“We saw the call come in, so we just turned around and continued towards it because we knew we were the closest unit,” said MacEachern.
Phil McCormick was the other paramedic on scene. He says as soon as they saw Eddy they could tell he was having a significant cardiac event.
“Those two paramedics, and the 911 operator, they saved my life,” said Eddy.
“When I got to the OR and they put a stent in, the first thing the cardiologist said is, ‘Those two paramedics saved your life. Twenty more minutes and you would not have made it.’”
Because of the care he received, Eddy wants to bring attention to the work done by paramedics and 911 operators.
“They are the most underrated, underpaid staff in North America,” said Eddy.
“We don’t have enough paramedics in our province and I think what we can do to incentivise them to come here and stay, like tax breaks and things that we’ve done for other industries, I think it’s long overdue.”
He fought back his emotions Friday as he expressed his gratitude to the first responders.
“You guys saved my life,” he said.
Brian Stockdale is one of the people Eddy thanked. A paramedic for over 25 years, he is a medical communications officer at the EHS Medical Communications Centre.
“This is the first time I’ve been involved with something like this. It’s quite awesome,” said Stockdale.
MacEachern says she became a paramedic in hopes of changing at least one person’s life.
“So, the fact that we were able to do that for this call and to meet him here today is pretty extraordinary,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
Jesus is their saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.