Colorado pals playing basketball save life of 29-year-old having heart attack on court

Thank goodness for some fast-acting friends and a defibrillator or this good news story from Colorado may have turned out a lot different…

Last week, 29-year-old Daniel Mitchell collapsed while playing basketball with friends in Centennial, Colorado. He’d been feeling lightheaded and dizzy before everything went black. His friends quickly jumped into action, recognizing that he had suffered a heart attack and needed immediate help.

One of the buddies, Merrill Redfearn, a dental student, performed CPR for the first time, while another, Justin Dittmar, went and grabbed a nearby automated external defibrillator (AED). Redfearn administered chest compressions while the group worked to set up the AED. When paramedics arrived, they used the device to shock Mitchell’s heart back to life, saving him just in time.

He later learned from doctors that despite his young age and good health, a genetic condition played a role in his heart attack. Grateful for his friends’ quick response, he thanked them for saving his life. Redfearn is now stressing the importance of learning CPR and basic life-saving skills and urging others to take training seriously because they never know when they might need it.