PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — Priscilla Timmons said she sent her mother a text message asking for help right before she fainted on March 13. An emergency room physician at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines later said she had blood clots in her legs, lungs, and heart.

Timmons, 38, suffered a massive pulmonary embolism that triggered three cardiac arrests. She required about 40 minutes of resuscitation before her pulse was restored, and she endured multi-organ failure.

While in the intensive care unit, after a prolonged medical coma, Timmons had yet to open her eyes when she lifted her hand and reached toward “Scrunchie,” one of the hospital’s seven therapy dogs at her bedside.

“I remember everyone telling me she was there. I then felt her paw, and that’s when I was able to move my fingers and lift my hand off the bed, and into the air. As a huge dog lover, this gave me all the motivation,” Timmons, now 39, told a crowd on Wednesday during a ceremony at the hospital.

Doctors thought she had less than a 10% chance of surviving. Her recovery started when she pet “Scrunchie,” a golden retriever, and while still on the ventilator and unable to talk, she met “Honey,” another therapy dog. She was extubated, recovered organ function, and was discharged about a month later.

“All of the doctors who worked with me have been amazing,” Timmons said, adding that she also had “the best nurses.”

Timmons said Dr. Dan Mayer, the Memorial Healthcare System’s chief of critical care, was her favorite.

“Dr. Mayer called me to check on me, and he wrote me e-mails asking me for updates, making sure I was OK. There are a lot of doctors in the world, but if I can say one thing, it’s, be like Dr. Mayer,” Timmons said to great applause. “Hey, that could be a good T-shirt.”

Timmons said she had a scare a couple of months ago, but after imaging and bloodwork while at the ER, a doctor told her that her lungs were 100% clear, her heart sounded great, and her bloodwork looked good -- “as if nothing ever happened.”

Mayer praised his MH team’s dedication and said he thinks of Timmons as a superhero -- with the likes of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. Timmons attributed her strength to her Christian faith.

“God told me to fight so I did with all my heart,” Timmons said. “Even when my heart stopped beating, my faith helped me fight.”

Watch Timmons’ speech

Story of survival: Priscilla Timmons delivers speech at Memorial Hospital

Watch Dr. Mayer’s speech

Story of survival: Dr. Dan Mayer delivers statement at Memorial Hospital

Memorial Hospital celebrates woman’s unlikely recovery after interaction with therapy dog

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