ORLANDO, Fla. – It was an emotional reunion at Delaney Park as a father came face to face with the strangers — and medical professionals — who helped save his life after he collapsed during his daughter’s softball game.
Back in March, Jason James was coaching when he started to feel light-headed near first base and then collapsed. Those nearby quickly realized his heart had stopped.
Bystanders rushed in and began CPR while another person ran to get an automated external defibrillator (AED). But the closest AED was locked inside the concession stand behind a coded door — and only a few people knew the PIN.
By pure chance, Adam Bitner had been given that code the day before. He sprinted to the concession stand to retrieve the device as the crowd continued CPR.
The emergency also drew the attention of two off-duty doctors who were at the park watching the game, along with Winter Garden Fire Battalion Chief Marcus DePaolo.
“I look up and I see him laying down and, his friend running with the red bag,” DePaolo said.
Dr. Danielle Henry said CPR was already in progress when she arrived. “The AED had arrived and we pulled it out of the bag. We got the AED pads placed on the chest, and then we turned on the AED,” she said.
Dr. Phil Flaherty said responding in that moment felt different than working in a hospital. “It’s difficult to describe it… It’s just a very different feeling from what we do at the hospital,” he said. “This is like my neighborhood.”
Within minutes, James had a pulse again and was rushed to the hospital. Five months later, he is recovering — and grateful for the quick actions that made the difference between life and death.
His daughter, Ariana, said she was relieved when her dad woke up. “You know, I was happy,” she said.
Looking back, James said the timing and the people who stepped in still feels unbelievable — and he’s taken comfort in what he calls a sign, tied to his daughter’s middle name, “Angel.”
“She was,” James said, reflecting on that day. He recalled DePaolo being one of the first people he saw when he woke up — and said the battalion chief was “literally wearing an angel’s jersey.”