Cardiac arrest survivor shares story of paramedic that saved his life

It’s not your typical kind of friendship. A year ago Thomas Montgomery and Eddie Camacho were complete strangers until a series of events brought them together.

“Its really changed my life big time,” says Montgomery.

He is celebrating his story of survival. He is one of many at the Santa Barbara County First Cardiac Arrest Survivor Celebration in Buellton who are thanking the people who saved their lives.

“The way people were put there it could not have been more perfect, I’ve always believed in God,” he says.

One of the people there that day was Eddie Camacho. A first responder who Montgomery now calls a friend and someone he says he’s thankful to for saving his life.

“Actually having someone come up and thank us it means a lot to us,” says Camacho.

Montgomery says he barely remembers the details of that day nearly one year ago on February 20.

He’s been told that after putting air in his tires, he sat back in his car, and that’s when a stranger realCaized something was wrong and called 911.

“The love, the caring of all these people, the paramedics, the strangers, it’s just incredible,” he says.

For him, these chain of events are something he never thought would happen to him. He says he’s grateful to have survived and to have made a new friend.

“Its kind of marked the worst day of my life and the best day of my life,” he says.

For more information about cardiac arrest go to: http://cosb.countyofsb.org/phd/ems.aspx?id=36444