'Everyday Heroes' save father, officer in cardiac arrest

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - When there’s an emergency and your life is on the line, every second counts. 

The events that played out when a Gwinnett County police officer went into cardiac arrest is the reason why he’s alive to tell his story, and give a special thank you to some deserving "Everyday Heroes".

"I was very lucky that day. Super glad to still be here," said Gwinnett County Police Officer Doug Loomis. His life nearly came to an end the morning of May 3.

At approximately 7 a.m., Doug arrived home after going for a run. His wife Ashley in the next room heard him collapse in the kitchen. 

Doug was having cardiac arrest. In other words, the 40-year-old’s heart stopped.

"I mean that day it was just do whatever you can to keep him here," said Doug’s wife Ashley.

After his wife performed CPR and called 911, members of Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services arrived – defibrillating his heart twice. 

At 7:25, Doug’s pulse was checked, this time it was good news. There, in his kitchen where he had collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest, his heart was beating on its own.

Multiple teams at Northside Hospital Gwinnett were at the ready to receive Doug, who was still unconscious. They would further stabilize Doug and run tests to determine a blood clot was the cause. 

"We moved him up to the intensive care unit which is where I took over, and between my team all the nurses, respiratory therapists, all the staff we were able to keep him stable," said Dr. Salil Patel, cardiologist with Northside Gwinnett Cardiology Group.

Four days after he collapsed, Doug was able to return home to his family. So at a gathering reuniting everyone who played a part in keeping Doug alive, he took the time to personally say ‘thank you’ to the entire group, aptly described as the "chain of survival."

"I just want to say… thank you to everybody. I don’t remember anything from that day or even several days after so thank you to everybody that cared for me, and to everyone being there supporting my family," said Doug to the entire group.

Officials say CPR played a vital role in keeping Doug alive.

The people who were recognized for helping Officer Loomis are listed below. They were with Gwinnett County Fire and Rescue, the Gwinnett County Police Department, 911 dispatch, and the hospital staff and cardiology team at Northside Gwinnett:

Brandy Britton

Ryan Knobf

Austin Chasse

Blaze Lottinger

Alex Griffin

Pat Kinsey

Brant Kaiser

D.J. Troughton

Shane Hendricks

Brooke Cummins

Nabil Baber

Heather McPherson

Morgan Ooley

Meagan Young

Dr. Jean Dorce

Christen Rice

Laura Bredehorst

Kellie Pruitt

Samantha Rudolph 

Dr. Salim Thabet

Whitney Jones

Samantha Brandon

William Eardley

Lauren Anderson

Kiran Madhani

Jessymol Varghese

Brett Wells     

Christy Finderburg

Dr. Salil Patel

If you or someone you know is doing something GOOD in your community we would love to highlight them in our "Everyday Heroes" segment! Send your submissions to FOX 5’s Christine Sperow via email or direct message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.