A few minutes later, Thames EMS paramedics arrived to take Griffin to the hospital, but the Good Samaritan was gone. Griffin, 47, said she never found out the name of the woman who came to her aid. If she did, she would thank the woman for saving her life. Griffin and nine other heart attack survivors were given the chance yesterday to thank emergency personnel for saving their lives at the second annual Thames EMS Survivor Celebration at the Middlesex County building. "It is part of the healing process. It completes the circle," she said. Griffin did not have a pulse when paramedics arrived, but they were able to restart it before going to hospital. She had another heart attack in the ambulance, Al Hunt, an advanced care paramedic, remembered. "It happened really quickly. I wasn't dead for long," said Griffin, who suffers from cardiac arrhythmia. "I saw a milky white light and I was aware of a presence of angels." She said she felt nervous and excited about meeting her rescuers for the first time since the incident. "I went over, introduced myself and started to cry," Griffin said. During the hour-long ceremony, Randy Denning, president of Thames EMS, called the survivors and rescue workers who helped them to stand before about 100 people as he read their stories. The reunion is important for the rescuers who often do not know what happens to the patients after they get them to the hospital, Denning said. "It's also icing on the cake for a good year of hard work," he said. After each story was read, the survivors hugged and shook hands with the paramedics, dispatchers and firefighters. "It's nice to know we make a difference," said Janis Harrison, one of the paramedics called to help Griffin. Since her
near-death experience, Griffin said she hasn't been bargain
hunting as much. "I
have just learned to appreciate people more than material things."
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