FDNY News- Empire State Lit for EMS Week: Man in Cardiac Arrest Meets Those Who Saved Him

	[Share]Published: May 20, 2014 Empire State Building Lit for EMS Week 2014 Empire State Building The Empire State Building lit white, yellow and blue on May 19 (complete with a spinning red and white siren on top) to help the FDNY celebrate EMS Week. The annual event, which honors the work of paramedics and EMTs, includes a number of events throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
[Share]Published: May 20, 2014 Man in Cardiac Arrest Revived by FDNY EMS will Meet his Heroes at Second Chance Brunch May 17, 2012, was a happy day for Sudhir Mongia. He and his wife watched proudly as their daughter graduated from New York University, and they celebrated with a special dinner in Manhattan. They were heading down a staircase at Penn Station, to catch a train back home to New Jersey, when Mr. Mongia collapsed and fell head-first down the stairs, then went into cardiac arrest. “Everything just seemed so normal,” he said. “Then I don’t remember anything after that.” FDNY EMS Capt. Richard Chatterton and Paramedics Michael Ullman and Ashley Strevy McDonald were among those who came to his aid. Bystanders started CPR, and the EMS professionals took over, administering aid continuously through a maze of hallways and elevators to get him to an ambulance. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, and because of his expert care, made a full recovery. Now, he is preparing to meet all the men and women who saved his life at the FDNY’s Second Chance Brunch, part of EMS Week, on May 21. “We always shoot for being in the right place at the right time for the right patient, and in this case, it worked perfectly,” Capt. Chatterton said. None of the EMS members have been reunited with a patient before, and said they were excited to meet the survivor. “I’m really looking forward to the whole experience,” Paramedic Ullman said. Yet the EMS members are not the only ones looking forward to the reunion. “It’s a second chance at this life. Who knows what might have happened if they hadn’t arrived in time,” Mr. Mongia said. “I’m so grateful for their help, assistance and professionalism in getting me to the hospital as quickly as possible. To meet them is a special thing. I want to thank all of them for saving hundreds and hundreds of lives. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”