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"I died:" Holly Springs man survives heart attack, thanks first responder heroes for saving his life

Two years after dying, a Holly Springs man finally got the chance he had been waiting for: To thank the first responder heroes who saved his life during a heart attack.

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By
Rick Armstrong
, WRAL enterprise multimedia journalist
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — A little over a year after dying, a Holly Springs man finally got the chance he had been waiting for: To thank the first responder heroes who saved his life during a heart attack.

This week, he was able to publicly praise each and every first responder hero during a meeting of the Holly Springs Town Council.

"December 7, 2020, I died. Yeah, I died," said James Hardt to those assembled in the town council chambers.

On that fateful day, Hardt and his wife Helen took their usual brisk walk. When they arrived home, he sat down at a table to work at his computer while his wife Helen left the room.

The next thing she knew, her husband yelled out in an unusual way. She found him, unconscious and collapsed on the table on top of his laptop computer.

She called 911. Wake County EMS Dispatcher Emily McPherson answered. "She said, 'you need to let him down, start CPR,'" recalled Helen Hardt.

She remembered the emotions that flowed through her, saying, "I’m a basket case. I’m crying. I’m just hysterical and she’s telling me to pump."

Joe Harasti with the Holly Springs Fire Department says CPR in that situation helps oxygenated blood continue to flow through the brain until first responders arrive.

On speaker phone, dispatcher McPherson guided Helen Hardt through the steps of CPR while at the same time, she processed the call to get the right units dispatched to the home.

Another fireman nearby heard the radio traffic in his car and responded.

"Five minutes later, he’s bouncing in the door," said Hardt, who had later read the minute by minute record of emergency response.

That responder took over CPR for Hardt's wife. Soon, emergency medical techs arrive with life-saving equipment to restore the heartbeat. However, after three attempts to shock Hardt’s heart back to life, there was no response.

"Then they pulled out what I call a Hail Mary!" said Hardt.

Through his knees, EMT’s injected a drug to quickly reach the heart. At the same time, they employed shock pads.

"Across the back, across the ribs, across the chest and they lit me up!" recalled Hardt.

"At 12:19, my heart started," said Hardt.

Everything fell into place for Hardt’s heart to survive.

"It doesn’t always happen that way. The cards are usually stacked up against that person," said Joe Harasti with the Holly Springs Fire Department.

Finally, at the Town Council meeting, the moment arrived for which Hardt had waited over a year for – to speak publicly about his experience.

"The Holly Springs fire department, the Wake County EMS and the dispatcher, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my life," he said.

Fire and rescue personnel strongly encourage more people to seek training in "citizen CPR" – to improve the chances of survival for those, like James Hardt, who’s lives may depend on it.

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