JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 77-year-old woman who went into cardiac arrest while driving on Normandy Boulevard said she’s alive today thanks to a complete stranger who jumped into action to save her life.
Joyce Long was on her way to a doctor’s appointment last week when she started to have a heart attack behind the wheel. Her daughter, Jennifer Long, said the outcome could have been tragic if not for the heroic actions of another driver named Retonia Watts.
“Had she not stopped that day, my mom would not be here,” Jennifer Long said. “Clearly, she would not be alive.”
Joyce Long’s car began to drift through heavy traffic as she experienced chest pains and slipped into cardiac arrest. While some drivers honked their horns in frustration, one driver, Watts, noticed something was seriously wrong and pulled over as Joyce Long’s car coasted to a stop.
“She’s barely able to drive because she’s having chest pains and is in the process of cardiac arrest,” Jennifer Long said. “Mrs. Watts was passing, blew the horn, and something just told her to stop.”
Watts said her instincts—and faith—took over.
“When she turned off the car, I started screaming,” Watts said. “I got out of my car and asked, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’ When I said that, she shook her head and said no. And when she said no, she passed out.”
Not knowing exactly what to do, Watts said she immediately called 911 and began to pray.
“I laid my hands on her and said, ‘Hold on, hold on. God got you,’” Watts recalled. “Rescue came quickly. It was destined for me to be there at that particular time.”
Paramedics arrived and had to shock Long’s heart twice and perform CPR three times before she began to recover.
Doctors have since told her family that her survival is nothing short of miraculous.
Joyce Long, still recovering, recorded a heartfelt message for the woman she credits with saving her life.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Watts. I appreciate you helping me in my time of need,” Long said in the recording. “I don’t know what happened to me. I became incapacitated, but you were a great help to me. You asked me a couple of times if I was OK, and I told you no. You helped me out and contacted my family. I just want to say thank you. You were a blessing to me.”
Watts, in response, simply said: “You’re welcome. I just thank God. Nobody owes me anything.”
Jennifer Long also shared that the rescue was particularly meaningful for her family. Just months earlier, her son died from a medical complication.
“Losing two family members in six months would have been too much to bear,” she said.
Watts also shared that her brother-in-law recently died following a medical condition in a vehicle.
“My sister had just lost her husband, and he actually passed in his car. And to be honest, I had, I got a glimpse of that when I started, when I saw her. I thought about, ‘What if someone would have been there to help save his life?’ And I felt like I had to help,” Watts said.