CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — What started as a relaxing night at home last week for Roy Pell and his wife turned into a terrifying health scare.
“Just all of a sudden, very suddenly, it got to the point where I could no longer breath," Pell said.
Pell's wife, Stacy, called 911 and that's when everything turned for the worst.
"The EMTs came out and told me before the ambulance left the house that they had to intubate him and just that thought was scary," Stacy said.
KRIS 6 News was able to catch up with two of the first responders, Jade Gonzales and Sidney Grimes, as they recalled the terrifying moments.
Grimes said when he became unresponsive, they had to worry about his airway.
"So we took all the measures that we needed to take. We took our protocol book to go over every single med that we needed to give him," Gonzales said.
Although they said each day on the job comes with an unexpected journey, the paramedics said it has its rewarding moments.
"This was my first time getting to see a patient that's been okay after going through a critical event," Gonzales said. "Now that we're putting the story out there, people see what actually goes on in the back of the box [ambulance] and they see that we're more than just ambulance drivers."
Because of their efforts to help people every day, Roy said he doesn't feel that first responders get the credit they deserve. He said he wants to show them how much he appreciates them.
"My heart goes out to them. It's longtime overdue, the recognition that they get today," Roy said.
Now that Pell is back on the move, he said he won't take his second chance at life for granted and wants everyone to realize the work that comes with saving someone's life.
"Sooner or later, the day will come that you'll have to make that 911 call and just know that those people are ready to respond with their lifesaving skills and experience to save your life like they did mine," Roy said.
On Saturday, Pell is hosting a celebration event for the first responders that helped him last week. It will be at 11a.m. at the James Bishop Fire Station at 506 Moore Ave. in Portland.
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