By Apage Lorena Estrada
TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) – A family got to spend the Fourth of July together thanks to the help of good Samaritans who sprang into action when they saw someone in need of CPR.
Bruce and Tiffany Brown live in Zephyrhills, but they came to the east coast last week for a quick getaway with family on Peanut Island.
“We started with a beautiful day; we went out, we took a little shuttle over to the little island, and we snorkeled for a long time,” said Tiffany.
Then, their beach day took a dangerous turn when Bruce went into cardiac arrest. Nearby strangers, however, jumped in and turned into heroes.
“People all around, lots of noise, you know, the sound of waves. But I heard what I now know was him trying to get his last breath in,” Tiffany said. “Yep, Matt, he was trained in the Navy on CPR and first aid. There’s also a nurse, Jennifer, and they figured out very quickly they had to start CPR.”
A nurse, a service member, and a doctor worked on Bruce for 45 minutes doing chest compressions.
“The nurse looked up and said, ‘You know I’m doing all I can, but can anybody pray?’” said Lindsay Ferrell. “I felt like the Lord just told me to get down there and start praying for him. So I did. And I was hanging on to his wife; she was over there, and I was praying for him.”
They say they lost his pulse three times before someone found a defibrillator on the beach and got him going.
By then, first responders had arrived and rushed him to the hospital.
“Two different doctors came in and told us he probably didn’t have 24 hours to live, especially with the situation and his age,” said Tiffany.
At 71, Bruce has a history of heart problems and is diabetic. However, he thankfully survived Wednesday’s nightmare.
“It was no bright light, no heaven, but it’s just kind of like a gray scale,” Bruce said. “And it was kind of there—there’s a slippery slope, but there were steps going up. So it’s kind of like your choice now. Are you going to go back, or are you going to start moving forward?”
Those who kept him alive visited Bruce in the hospital. A week later, he’s tired, occasionally coughing, and uses his hamburger pillow for comfort.
“One thing about chest compression, especially for that long, is that it does do some wear and tear on your ribs and your lung and stuff like that,” he said. “But overall, I’m just thankful to be alive and above ground, and I got a loving wife here who’s taking good care of me and putting me back into shape.”
As Bruce continues to recover, the couple are leaning on each other now and final humor in the little things.
“If I get out of doing dishes and trash for another week,” said Bruce.
“I mean, as Christians, we feel like God ordered the steps that day,” said Tiffany. “He knew exactly what was going to happen, and he placed the right people there.”
While Bruce heals, the married couple plans to open Eyes to Hear Health to teach the importance of CPR and AEDs, crediting their faith.
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