ARTESIA, N.M. (KRQE)- You hear the saying all the time, “He’s lucky to be alive.” That’s definitely true for a New Mexico man who recently died not once, not twice but eight times.

Lately, he has only has one thing on his mind: thanking the firefighters and paramedics who worked so hard to save his life.

It was an August day that changed Jerald Pardue’s life forever.

“I understand I coded out eight times,” said Pardue.

That morning, Pardue died eight different times before he even made to the hospital. “All the sudden, I realized I was having a heart attack and came to the house, called 911 and that’s the last thing I remember until about a week later,” he said.

He says he’s only alive today thanks to the work of the Artesia Fire Department and TriState CareFlight.

“I don’t think there is many towns of 11,000 that have the quality fire department that we have here,” said Pardue.

The helicopter that took Pardue to a hospital in Lubbock had to land in his horse pasture.

“Luckily one of the firefighters was familiar with horses and he was able to get them pinned up,” he said.

After months of rehabilitation, Pardue now says he’s on a mission to say thanks to everyone who saved him.

He’s already spent some time at the Artesia Fire Department, hanging out with the crew, taking a tour and snapping pictures like one of him giving a little payback to the firefighter who gave him CPR and broke a few of his ribs.

He also met the EMS pilot who flew the helicopter, Lon Enos.

“Normally you drop them off and you leave them there, we rarely hear what happens to them, and then to have him surface a couple months later and actually getting to shake his hand. That really brought it all full circle,” said Enos.

Pardue says that it took him a long time to even start walking again after his heart attack, but now he says he’s feeling happy and healthy.