Teenager Meets Heroes After Suffering Rare Cardiac Arrest Event
By Jamie Leary
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - A Lakewood teenager is back on track after suffering a rare cardiac arrest on July 18. On Tuesday, she had the chance to shake the hands of the firefighters who saved her life.
"I am incredibly thankful," said Taylor Knight, 17.
Knight had no warning signs and has no recollection of what happened that day or even the day before.
"I think I blocked it out," she said
Meeting the West Metro firefighters was a way to put some of the pieces together, even if she can't remember.
"Seeing them, like they're actually, it's like kind of weird... but actually like, real people and seeing them and hearing about all the stuff they did... you don't just put me on a stretcher and shove me in there and take me off," she chuckled. "You actually did stuff, like really important stuff!"
Knight has a very witty sense of humor and her rescuers were beyond happy to see this Tuesday.
"I see a normal happy teenage girl," beamed Dave Dame, a firefighter and paramedic who helped resuscitate Knight.
When firefighters first arrived at Knight's home, they found her unresponsive and without a pulse.
Her mother, a teacher in Evergreen, had already begun early CPR, but her daughter needed a defibrillator.
Quick actions by her mother and firefighters saved her life.
"I probably won't forget this one. This is a rarity. This type of cardiac event for a 17-year-old," said Dame.
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At just 17, Knight will have to wear a pacemaker for the rest of her life, but her grandparents, who came Tuesday to take pictures were beaming with pride and said their granddaughter is a fighter.
Knight has proven this true. It's been just under two months and she is already back in school.
Jamie Leary joined the CBS4 team in 2015 and currently works as a reporter for CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. She couldn't imagine a better place to live and work and will stop at nothing to find the next great story. Jamie loves learning about and hearing from her fellow community members, so connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @JamieALeary.