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PulsePoint app alerts medics who save man's life

A pair of fast-acting medics jumped into action to save a man's life while working out at a downtown Seattle gym.

Fouwa Saechao, 68, had a heart attack at 24 Hour Fitness July 31. He remembers working out, walking to the elevator, then, after that, everything went black.

"We found the gentleman in the elevator without a pulse and turning purple, so we started CPR and called 911,” said Richard Babb, University of Washington Medical Center nurse anesthetist.

Babb happened to be working out at the same gym when Saechao went into cardiac arrest.

“My PulsePoint app did go off, which, I would love to tell you, everyone in Seattle should have that app,” he said.

The PulsePoint app is free to download and it saves lives. When a 911 call comes in it shows up on the app. When there’s a CPR call nearby, the app alerts users through their phone. When users click on the alert, a map shows where the person is who needs CPR.

Saechao wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse, so Babb started CPR.

Dr. Shamus Moran was also at the gym and stepped in to help. They got the gym's AED and brought Saechao back to life before paramedics arrived.

"It's quite an incredible experience to see a patient go from kind of being at the edge of death to being completely revived and walking around within a week,” said Moran.

Speaking in lu Mien, Saechao thanked the men who saved him. His daughter, Meuywa Saephan, translated what he said.

"I'm very thankful. I'm very grateful. I'm a believer. I'm a Christian and I know that God has blessed these people with the knowledge, with the skill. They were there, they helped me, they saved my life,” she said.

Medics said more miracles will happen if more people learn CPR and download the PulsePoint app.

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