When driving back from a fishing trip with his brother, Ernie Johnson experienced chest pains that turned into a full cardiac arrest. As reported by WCMH NBC 4 the brothers were near Dublin, Ohio and pulled off of U.S. Route 33 when Ernie said, "All of a sudden, my eyes rolled up behind my head, and I fell directly backwards…Then, all the miracles start to happen.”

While Ernie was lying in the grass, Dublin Methodist Hospital CPR certified patient support assistant, Ann McElfresh fortunately pulled over. She knew exactly what to do and recalled, "I shook him and I yelled at him and I was like, ‘He's full arrest,’ and I started the most aggressive CPR I've ever done in my life." Then an off duty police officer arrived and happened to have a pocket mask with him. Ann instructed the officer to breathe through the mask. Then the Marysville Police Department and a state patrol officer were on the scene. Despite not being able to detect a pulse, Ann and the other first responders were persistent, “We've got a chance, and we never stopped. We never, ever stopped."

Once the patient arrived at the Dublin Methodist Hospital emergency room things were not looking good. "I didn't have a heartbeat for 30 to 45 minutes. I was literally dead," Ernie said. Dr. Brian Weeks said that the patient responded when vasopressin was administered. Ernie was then rushed to Riverside Methodist Hospital for hypothermia treatment, which was used to preserve his brain and slow down his body. After a month in the hospital and rehabilitation, Ernie made a full recovery and said, "You know how we all run around and we all think whether we're loved or not. I found out I was, and it's such a good feeling."

More information: WCMH