When at 18 years old, Jack Luck passed out in his kitchen while experiencing chest pains two Essex Windsor EMS paramedics arrived on the scene to revive him.
Now, a year and a half later, Luck and his family reunited with one of those paramedics, Dawn Hodges, on Survivors Day.
"It really just means the world to be here today, to be able to put a face to these first responders who literally saved my life that life. It is really life-changing," said Luck.
Similarly, Hodges, who has been a paramedic for 28 years, remarked how wonderful it is to reconnect with someone she helped.
"After a majority of our calls, we don't get a chance to see the outcome of what happens with our patients," said Hodges. "To have this opportunity has been really incredible. To see Jack doing as well as he's doing and having the chance to speak with him and his family, and hear what his journey has been over the past year, it's been really, really nice."
Each year, Essex Windsor EMS celebrates survivors and the first responders who helped them in their time of need.
"I have all my heart out for this woman. She did everything she could that night and it turned out positive for me. It was great," said Luck.
After he was revived, Luck spent 10 days in the intensive care unit and another month at Windsor Regional Hospital before he was transferred to London. He was told the attack was caused by myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. What caused the illness is still a mystery, but since his initial hospital stay, he's had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator put in his chest and he's on regular medications.