After Chicago area firefighters saved his life, he wanted to thank them in person
NILES, Ill. (CBS) – "Always a part of the family." - That's how one Glenview mom described the Niles firefighters who saved her husband's life this holiday season.
On Thursday, they stopped by the Niles Fire Department Station 2 to show their appreciation. CBS 2's Sara Machi was there for the reunion.
Christopher John Szafraniec said he knows it's a miracle that he's alive because his doctors told him so. They said only about 10% of people survive the kind of heart attack he had and less than 2% without memory loss or long-term disability.
"The doctor told me whoever was doing the compression saved my life," Szafraniec said.
But on Thursday, the 50-year-old walked into the Niles station to thank the team who saved his life.
There was nothing but smiles as Szafraniec and his family stood alongside the firefighter paramedics who performed life-saving chest compressions on the way to Lutheran General Hospital on Dec. 22 after he started to feel ill at work.
They said they needed to shock his heart twice, even pulling over as more reinforcements came to give him compressions.
For some of the team members, they said this was the first time anyone had ever come back to say "Thanks."
"I really wanted to just come and say 'Thank you,'" Szafraniec said. "They saved my life. I mean, it's amazing. These guys are amazing."
His wife, Patty, added, "Every doctor that came into the room reinforced and reinforced that you truly are a miracle."
Szafraniec spent a week in the hospital.
Mike Pope, a firefighter/paramedic at the Niles Fire Department said it was "a great outcome, especially right before the holidays."
Szafraniec was able to spend New Year's Eve with his family and said he's looking forward to a new year with his family, concentrating on his health. He said he got a second chance at life, something most people who go through his experience don't get.