Former Husker thanks 911 dispatcher for helping wife save his life

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Demoine Adams, a Husker football player from the early 2000s, says his life was saved by CPR about two weeks ago.

One night, Adams said he woke up with tightness in his chest and got up to go to the bathroom.

“Felt myself getting dizzy and lightheaded,” he said. “And then I turned back around to go to the bed, and that’s all I remember.”

SEE ALSO: Lincoln Fire & Rescue promotes app that alerts people to nearby cardiac arrests

Adams’ wife, Fara, said she watched him hit the floor and didn’t know what to do at first.

“I hear a loud crash in my bedroom,” she said. “Flip on the light, my husband is collapsed on the floor. Eyes wide open. And I said, ‘Baby, are you sleepwalking? What’s happening?’ And he was not responsive.”

Fara then called 911 and explained what was going on.

SEE ALSO: 911 dispatcher recalls helping Lincoln man save his girlfriend’s life with CPR

The 911 dispatcher, Joey Mims, asked her to check whether Demoine was breathing normally. He wasn’t.

She said she can still hear Mims’ voice telling her what to do: “I want you to count out loud so I can hear you, ‘One and two and three and four,’ as I’m doing the chest compressions.”

Fara, an occupational therapy assistant, has been trained to use CPR but had never done it until that moment. She said having someone on the phone with her made it so much easier.

“When you are scared and in shock, it’s helpful to have someone count you through it,” she said.

After a few minutes, Demoine was responsive again. Lincoln Fire & Rescue crews then took him to a hospital.

“It’s hard to gauge and know what’s happening,” Mims said. “But it’s always refreshing when you get that response from the firefighters on scene, and you hear that they are breathing and that at least there’s a pulse.”

Demoine had had a pulmonary embolism, which is when an artery in the lungs becomes blocked.

He said his doctors are still trying to get to the root of why it happened, but he’s doing fine now.

SEE ALSO: ‘She died in my arms for a second’: Lincoln man saves girlfriend’s life with CPR

His family got to meet Mims on Wednesday at the Lincoln-Lancaster County 911 center.

There, they thanked him for his guidance that night.

“I appreciate so much everything that you did,” Fara told Mims. “Your calm demeanor and your instructions were just such a relief in a time of panic.”

Demoine said everyone should find ways to thank first responders for what they do.

“It is a business that goes unthanked,” he said. “And we’re just very fortunate to be able to say thank you to this team and to others that make this a priority 24/7.”