x
Breaking News
More () »

'He had no pulse': Family praises Colleyville first responders, dispatch

"It's a miracle," said Tom. "You can't really repay someone for your life."

COLLEYVILLE, Texas — It only took a few moments for the Smith household to be turned upside down one week ago.

"He wasn't felling well," said Jamie Smith. "Went into the bedroom and I heard him fall."

Her husband, Tom, was suffering a massive heart attack.

"He had no pulse," Jamie said.

She called 911, where the reassuring voice of veteran dispatcher Crystal Alexander greeted her on the other end.

"It felt like a short time, but then it felt like forever," Alexander said.

For five minutes, she calmly walked a Jamie through CPR.

It was then that two Colleyville firefighters from Station 1 arrived on scene.

"It's always a race against time," said Robert Creamier. "We only have a certain amount of time."

Eventually using an electric shock to regain a pulse, the men worked tirelessly on Tom.

He regained his pulse four minutes after they arrived, some incredible nine minutes after the initial 911 call.

About that time, Officer JJ Arenz arrived on scene. A 30-plus year law enforcement veteran, he's seen a lot.

"These don't always end well," he said.

So, as the paramedics dutifully attended to Tom, the officer offered services of another kind.

"I just asked them if they were believers and we just prayed," said Arenz, choking up a bit. "Hopefully, it made some difference. The other guys did the real work."

For Tom and Jamie, there's little doubt that prayer helped give Tom the extra push to survive.

"It's a miracle," Tom said. "You can't really repay someone for your life."

Offering thanks and praise for the jobs of the first responders and dispatch workers, Jamie shared the family's story on Facebook over the weekend.

Amazingly, Tom came home from the hospital on Sunday.

Doctors don't expect him to be have any longstanding issues from the heart attack, despite not having a pulse for all those minutes on a Monday morning.

Before You Leave, Check This Out