Family Thanks Firefighters After Life-Saving Response
By Jeff Todd
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- Ringing in the new year had a special meaning for one Colorado family after they nearly lost their loved one.
Lewis had his second heart attack around thanksgiving of 2014. His son started CPR which helped save his life, but the family credits the quick response from paramedics.
"I saw him struggling to breathe and I recognized it was his heart failing to pump blood," said Sheldon Lewis Jr. "My dad was dead I remember hearing someone say 'He's gone' and they continued. Whoever was doing chest compressions I can't thank them enough. They ended up getting a heartbeat."
Sheldon has been recovering for more than a year and the family wanted to make sure his road to recovery was complete before thanking the firefighters responsible for saving his life.
On New Year's Eve the family brought food to West Metro Fire Rescue.
"What better way to express gratitude from your heart than food," Lewis Sr. said. "Pretty much, I was the miracle guy that wasn't given a chance at that time. But I'm here. According to the report my doctor got, they're shocked I am here."
For the first responders this wasn't a reunion they usually get.
"I remember walking in the door that day and the chaos the family was going through," said Mike Worcester a West Metro Firefighter. "It's not often we get to see the end result. We go out on call after call after call and you get to the hospital and you hand the patient off to definitive care and on to the next call. It's refreshing to see someone up walking around with a positive outcome."
"I'm very grateful to be here and I have a lot to live for," said Lewis Sr.
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
