ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – An Ohio man is grateful to be alive after he collapsed during a recent family trip to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine.
There’s lots of history at the fort going back to the 1600s, but for the DeAngelo family, that’s where Frank will remember he got another chance at life.
Frank and Debbie DeAngelo were visiting their daughter and son-in-law recently when they decided to take a trip to St. Johns County.
“We decided to take a day trip to St. Augustine because she’d never been,” Debbie DeAngelo said.
They had a good time in the historic town walking and having lunch, but it started to rain.
They then went to the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument to catch the cannon demonstration.
“My son-in-law and he came up the stairs and as he came to the top of the stairs he took four steps and he just melted to the ground,” she said.
Body cam footage shows the family hovering over Frank DeAngelo trying to figure out what was wrong.
“He has a faint pulse,” a park ranger said.
Debbie thought her husband hit his head. He made a grunting noise, and then park rangers and police officers began CPR.
“Does anybody have an AED? Get an AED,” one of the rangers asked.
Jonathan Correa did chest compressions, and he was one of the first responders that helped Frank.
“As soon as I saw Frank, I knew that something wasn’t right,” Correa told News4JAX. “Unfortunately, I’ve had some experiences dealing with sick people.”
St. Augustine Fire and St. Johns County Rescue rushed Frank to the hospital.
Frank doesn’t remember most of the visit to the fort, passing out, or who saved his life but he was reunited with them in a recent emotional moment.
It was a tearful moment of gratitude for him and his wife. Frank said the men were his guardian angels.
“If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “My family would be coming down here planning a funeral. Not be able to talk to me ever again. My grandchildren would never be able to see me again.”
Debbie said his doctors told her that Frank had sudden cardiac arrest known as “sudden death.” Only 5% of people survive the medical condition. Despite the odds, he is alive and well.
The DeAngelos have since gone home to Ohio where their children and 11 grandchildren were waiting to see them again.
Next year, Frank and his wife will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.
After this life-saving moment, the DeAngelo family said everyone should have an AED in case of an emergency.
Without one, they don’t know if Frank would’ve survived.