A man who was rescued from the brink of death publicly thanked the first responders and others who helped save his life, during Monday’s Plymouth Board of Works meeting.
On September 26, Kevin Houin was playing basketball with a group of friends at Riverside Intermediate School, just as he had most Mondays over the past 15 years. “I thought I was in really good shape because I was training for a half-marathon,” he said. I’d just run 10 miles the Thursday before.”
But after finishing the first game of the evening, he lost consciousness. His fellow basketball players quickly began chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. However, Houin says the school’s AED ultimately made the difference between life and death. “And I know the AED was required because I was the guy that pulled the data off of the AED because nobody else could figure out how to get the data off of it. So it takes a computer nerd to figure it out,” he joked. “And I had a keen interest in what the data said. And it really did show that my heart was done because it actually analyzes you for 15 seconds before it tells you whether or not to shock.”
Houin said that with his computer software, he was actually able to play back those 15 seconds in real time. “I just hit the play button and I just imagined these guys all standing around after beating on my chest for I don’t know how long, standing back and just saying, ‘Is this little green box doing anything?’ Can you imagine what they felt like? I can’t imagine what you guys went through to just sit there and not be able to do anything because you guys all are men of action,” he said. “And it said, ‘Shock.'” He said that immediately put his heart back into rhythm.
Houin personally thanked the Plymouth Police officer who operated the AED, as well as the city’s EMTs. Mayor Mark Senter said the event stands out in a crazy world. “Every now and then, a miracle comes along,” he said. “And there was a miracle that occurred right here in the City of Plymouth on September 26 at Riverside Intermediate School, and we’re here tonight to celebrate a life that came back, if you will.”
Senter recognized not only the city’s first responders but also the civilian bystanders whose quick thinking helped save Houin’s life.
