Strangers bring runner back to life after he collapses from heart attack on trail
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - After a Las Vegas runner collapsed on a trail, strangers jumped to his rescue. He later used a unique method to track them down and thank them.
With decades of training, six Boston Marathons under his belt and a resting heart rate of only 42, running isn’t only a big part of Phil Young’s life - but he believes it’s responsible for saving it.
“Without running, I would not be here,” Young told KVVU.
In mid-March, Young set off for a run at Lone Mountain Trail while training for his seventh Boston Marathon. Only three-quarters of a mile in, he stopped to use the restroom, and his world changed forever.
“I came out of the bathroom, and I guess that’s when I died,” he said.
Young had a heart attack and collapsed. His heart stopped on the trail, and he later learned he was dead for nine to 11 minutes. Miraculously, he says two Air Force officers were nearby.
“Talk about the right time, oh my God. I think they’re the ones that saw him fall,” said Young’s partner, Betsy Vencius. “They knew R. They knew all the life-saving things.”
Vencius says those two “angels” weren’t the only ones who jumped in to help. She says one woman even held Young’s hand and head while emergency crews responded.
“The people were at the right place at the right time,” she said.
Young had to undergo open heart surgery, revealing several heart defects and requiring weeks of recovery and cardiac rehab.
While he recovered, Vencius made it her mission to find the people who saved him.
“How do we find these people?” she said. “So, my niece said, ‘Why don’t you put up a sign?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what a great idea.’”
She posted a sign on the Lone Mountain trailhead with a message written by Young himself:
“On Wednesday, March 19th at 9:47 a.m., I collapsed while running and had a heart attack,” the sign read. “If you were the angel who saved my life and allowed me to take one more breath, I so ire your courage and would welcome the chance to meet you when and if you are ready.”
Within only 48 hours, those “angels” responded, sending Young messages of healing and gratitude. He and Vencius say the response they received from strangers proves just how many people call Las Vegas home.
“The outpouring of love and has just been phenomenal. I’m proud to say I live in Vegas. I really am,” Vencius said.
Young says he plans to meet the two Air Force men who saved him in the coming weeks. He adds that he hopes his story serves as a reminder to others to get their hearts checked.
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