NEW YORK (PIX11) -- In an emotional gathering, the FDNY's 28th Second Chance Ceremony brought together eight survivors with the rescuers who saved their lives.
Among them was 14-year-old Dylan Garcia, who was reunited with the firefighters and EMTs who resuscitated him after he went into cardiac arrest during a gym class at St. Thomas High School in Queens last year.
"I respect them a lot, and I thank them very much because, without them, I don't think I'd be here," said Dylan Garcia.
In January 2023, when he was 12 years old, Dylan collapsed face-first.
"I was in gym class, and I don't know what really happened. I can't remember much...I saw I was running apparently, and I think I fell, and I fell on my face," Garcia recalled.
Firefighters performed CPR and used a defibrillator to restart Garcia's heart. Paramedics then rushed him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with myocarditis from a COVID-19 infection. Dylan has since made a full recovery.
The Second Chance Ceremony recognizes the life-saving impact of the FDNY's emergency medical services and highlights the importance of their rapid response and skilled medical interventions in critical situations.
"To see children, it's worse because it's not what we expect. We don't ever want to have to do this," said Fire Chief Ricardo Otero.
Yet saving Garcia's life filled Otero with immense pride.
Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh praised the skill, training and compassion of FDNY's first responders, who she called "the lifeline of the communities they serve."
"I hope this day reinvigorates you and reinforces how vital you are to the city," Kavanagh told the rescuers.
As the ceremony served as an emotional reminder of the harrowing calls FDNY faces daily, Garcia now lives his life with a newfound appreciation since his near-death experience. "I've been acting a little more thankful," Garcia said.
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