Health Emergency Survivor Returns to Thank First Responders and Bystander Who Stepped In

Months after Las Cruces firefighters and EMTs responded to a cardiac arrest call that could have ended very differently, the patient they helped save returned with his wife to say thank you.

Keith Freeman suffered cardiac arrest on March 7, prompting an emergency response from Las Cruces Fire Department crews. Freeman survived, and recently returned to visit the firefighters and EMTs who responded that day.

For the crews involved, LCFD said the reunion provided something emergency responders rarely receive: an opportunity to see a patient again after the emergency has passed.

“Our crews train for cardiac emergencies every day, but it is rare to have the opportunity to see a patient again after the emergency and share a moment of gratitude and connection,” the department said.

But LCFD also used Freeman’s story to recognize someone else whose actions began before firefighters and EMTs arrived.

Help Began Before First Responders Arrived

An unidentified bystander immediately began performing CPR on Freeman following the cardiac arrest.

The department credited the quick actions of people at the scene, the care provided by responding crews and the continued efforts of those involved with helping Freeman survive.

“There is another hero in this story: the person who started CPR,” LCFD said.

Bystander CPR can provide critical assistance during the minutes between cardiac arrest and the arrival of emergency medical personnel. LCFD also emphasized the importance of using an automated external defibrillator, or AED, when one is available.

“Everyday citizens are helping save lives,” the department said.

LCFD specifically thanked the man who stepped forward to begin CPR.

“To the gentleman who immediately stepped in and started CPR: thank you. Your actions mattered.”

A Rare Reunion

Freeman and his wife’s visit gave the responding crews an opportunity to reconnect under circumstances far removed from the emergency they encountered in March.

For firefighters and EMTs accustomed to treating patients during some of the most critical moments of their lives, the department said opportunities to later see those patients healthy are uncommon.

LCFD thanked Freeman and his wife for returning to meet the responders and for providing the crews with a reminder of the purpose behind their training and work.

This time, instead of an emergency call, the encounter ended simply with gratitude.