Excerpts from wgntv.com:

A man and his family had an emotional exchange recently afternoon with firefighters from the Niles Fire Department who saved his life two weeks ago.

On Dec. 22, Christopher Szafraniec was going about a normal day at work, when he suffered a heart attack on the job. 911 was called and firefighters arrived within minutes. Szafraniec’s heart stopped twice on the way to the hospital.

“After the first minute or two, we got a pulse back after we shocked the patient once. [The] patient woke up and we advised him what happened,” a firefighter said. “The second time, [the] patient did code in route to Lutheran general. We shocked him a second time, got a pulse back, and [he] was awake.”

Since his close call, Szafraniec said he has made an amazing recovery and credits the Niles firefighters for their quick actions during his medical emergency.

“The doctor was saying whoever was doing compressions saved my life,” Szafraniec said. “But to be able to come back and thank these men, it’s an honor.”

“Every doctor that came into the room reinforced you truly are a miracle,” added Patty Szafraniec, Christopher’s wife. “10% people make it through what he went through.”