A Plano father who collapsed at a city recreation center returned Monday to say "thank you" to his real-life heroes.
Thomas Tsang and his son returned to the Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center in Plano to thank the four lifeguards and Plano paramedics who saved his life.
Tsang collased while playing table tennis at the center in December.
The center’s lifeguards grabbed an automated external defibrillator and did compressions on Tsang until paramedics arrived on scene.
It turned out he had a 90% blockage, but fortunately suffered no neurological damage thanks to the quick actions of those who responded, including the center’s head lifeguard Nicholas Mendoza. Mendoza who applied the AED and did CPR for the first time in a real-life emergency.
“When I saw the incident happen I just kind of took a deep breath and said, 'Let’s go,'” Mendoza said. “I just kept my cool and just continued to compress on the victim’s chest to make sure I could get a heart rate on you.”
Tsang was in an induced coma following the heart attack, according to his son.
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“This gives me a second chance at my life and I would like to thank you all, deep from my heart,” Thomas Tsang said. “Thank you very much.”
The city of Plano said their recreation centers are equipped with AEDs.
The city credited them and extensive training for saving more lives than the national average.
