ARLINGTON — A 78-year-old Dallas man is recovering from a heart attack he suffered while attending his granddaughter's graduation ceremony at the University of Texas at Arlington.
William Campbell had just been seated when his wife said he passed out.
"He slumped back with his head on the desk and made a loud noise," said Cleo Campbell.
Campbell was having a heart attack.
He had no pulse and was not breathing when off-duty Arlington firefighter Lt. Michelle Peña noticed something was wrong.
She helped use a portable defibrillator, also known as an AED device, along with compressions on the chest to bring back Campbell's pulse.
"We got him on the ground, made sure the AED was placed on correctly, analyzed it, and it said he needed to be shocked," Peña said.
The firefighter was at the ceremony watching her own daughter graduate. Peña was there with her other child, who also is a trained paramedic, and together they helped bring Campbell back to life.
"That was a major effort they put forward," Cleo Campbell said. "I appreciate it; I thank God for them. Tthey did their job."
William Campbell doesn't remember any of the chaos. The 78-year-old woke up in the hospital soon realizing how lucky he was.
"I want to give them a hug and a great thanks for what they done for me," he said.
Campbell never got to see his granddaughter walk across the stage, but because of some quick-thinking bystanders, he'll be able to see her in person again.
E-mail ccivale@wfaa.com
