KEY WEST, Fla. – A man who competed two weeks ago in a half-marathon in Key West took to Facebook this week to try to find the good Samaritans who saved his life after he collapsed.
Bill Amirault said he started to get tunnel vision on Jan. 15 as he was about to finish the race.
"(I) pretty much went to the side of the road, (and that's) pretty much all I remember," he said.
When he woke up, he was in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital for surgery.
Amirault learned that he had ventricular arrhythmia, which caused his heart to stop.
If it hadn't been for the bystanders who gave him CPR, he wouldn't have survived.
"I would really like to get in touch with these people and really thank them," Amirault said in a video posted to his Facebook page from his hospital bed at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Within 24 hours, the video had been viewed 1,600 times, and days later it reached more than 1 million views.
It didn't take long before he found his four heroes.
The people who helped him were nurses who knew exactly what to do when he passed out.
"Just to think the right nurse(s) being right there at the right time, in that specific area where I fell, was just amazing -- a miracle," Amirault said.
Amirault thanked his heroes properly, and they are hoping to be reunited next year at the half-marathon. He said he hopes sharing his story will inspire others to learn how to perform CPR and save other lives.
UPDATE on search for heroes that saved my life (trying for the 7th time to update the original post ;)): We found all of the very first heroes and many others that were also crucial in getting the next level of on-staff EMS and Fire Department heroes that took over! We already have a pretty good feel for who the rest of the 'army' of heroes are in the hospital system and look forward to getting back to the keys later this year to thank them in person. Thank you all for your prayers, well wishes, sharing your own experiences and for getting this message out there about the importance of learning CPR. One easy way to find training near you: www.cpr.heart.org What an incredible experience watching this message spread through your efforts. Thank you to all of you that saved me and save people for a living every day!! Peace, love and god bless you all!! -Bill Original post: Please help me find the person(s) that saved my life at the Key West, FL 1/2 Marathon on Sun Jan 15th. They provided CPR when my heart stopped until the EMTs arrive. Without them and the incredible medical staff, I wouldn't be alive today. I want to personally thank them. Please share with all your friends and help me find them.
Posted by Bill Amirault on Friday, January 20, 2017