Arizona man thanks paramedics who quickly jumped into action and save his life

AZ man thanks paramedics for saving his life

An Arizona man and his wife have a lot to be thankful for, as paramedics and nurses quickly sprang into action to help him when he had a massive heart attack. FOX 10's Lauren Clark reports.

PHOENIX - A Payson man is lucky to be alive, as medical crews in the field and in the air saved him from a heart attack that nearly killed him.

"I mean, you guys saved my life. I’m grateful," Doug Overfield said to the medical workers who gave him this second chance at life.

In early June, Overfield said his chest felt a little funny. He walked into Banner Payson Medical Center with his wife, Barb.

"All of a sudden, something went terribly wrong, and I was having a massive heart attack," Overfield recounted.

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Overfield doesn’t remember much of what happened next. Nurses Michelle Jackman and Michele Sisson quickly sprung into action, as every second mattered.

"It wasn’t a standard call at that point," said flight paramedic Clint Dunning.

After Dunning and RN Edgar Logarta arrived, Overfield was stabilized, and he was flown to Mesa within 30 minutes, all the while texting Barb with updates.

"When I woke up, the surgeon told me ‘I got to tell you: Payson ER did everything correctly, and if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be alive,’" Overfield said.

To thank them, Overfield and his wife sent individualized notes with personalized pictures. It’s not often that medical professionals get a thank you, but the Overfields say it’s the least they can do, after being given the most precious gift there is: more time with the ones they love.

"I can’t thank you enough," said Barb. "I want to thank them all the time."

The Overfields say they will start a New Year's Eve tradition: each night, they will toast the people who saved Doug by name, so that they never forget what they did.