A Wisconsin man who had a heart attack at a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals is now thanking the fans who saved his life.
John Clements, 58, attended the June 11 game at Nationals Park with his family.
When he went into cardiac arrest during the game, two bystanders rushed to his aid and began performing CPR. Clements was breathing by the time he was carted out of the stadium, and he would later have a stent place in his right coronary artery. He spent three days in the hospital.
"I'm remarkably better," Clements told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "The only pain I have is the pain that saved me. I can feel it in my chest plate from the CPR and the shocks. I'm better day by day, though. It's pain that I can put up with for the rest of my life."
Clements has 38-year-old fire department captain Jamie Jill and 32-year-old emergency room nurse Lindy Prevatt, to thank for their help during the emergency.
Jill and Post didn't know each other, but Jill said the pair worked "seamlessly" together to "give this guy the best shot we could."
Clements' wife, Rhonda, said she knew something was wrong when she heard her husband grunt and then begin turning blue.
"Within a second, a man came, a spectator, asking if he was OK," Rhonda said. "Within a couple seconds more, they all had him down on the ground performing CPR, and it just happened so fast. I felt like I was watching an episode of 'ER' or something. In the background, I could see the game going on. 'This is unbelievable how this all happening right now.'"
Stadium personnel cleared the two sections of seating to allow for space. Rhonda and their two sons were led to another area while emergency responder performed CPR.
John said he hasn't had a chance to personally thank Jill and Post for their help just yet, but he's going to change that.
"I'm going to," he said. "If I have to fly back out there, I am going to get to them, look them in the eye and say thank you, shake their hands and (try) not to cry."
