KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A family is grateful for the quick-thinking and fast actions of a complete stranger who saved the life of a grandfather who collapsed at McGhee Tyson Airport last week—and they are hoping to find that person to thank them in person.
On Friday, Roger Thompson and his son, Sean Boyle, had planned to go on a trip to New York with their family.
Boyle's wife and daughter were on a later flight than Thompson. When Boyle got to the airport, he tried to find his dad, who had gotten there earlier. He couldn't find him.
His wife, Heather Dye, called Thompson's cellphone and found out he was in the hospital. The family canceled their trip to New York and went straight to the hospital.
"Our bags went to New York but not us," Boyle said.
Boyle said they arrived to find his father unresponsive in the hospital.
"The hardest was when we first saw him," Boyle said. "He was strapped down to the bed and unconscious, so they put him in a coma."
Boyle later learned a good Samaritan found his father on the third floor of the parking garage at McGhee Tyson and started CPR.
Doctors said it's a miracle he's still alive.
"For someone to find him that quickly and resuscitate him back to life... I think that is amazing," Boyle said.
Dye said her father-in-law is doing better now. He may need a defibrillator implanted on his heart.
"He is off the ventilator, off the feeding tube," Dye said. "He's eating by himself, talking, smiling and playing cards."
Now, the family wants to find the person who started CPR in the parking lot.
"He would love to shake your hand, to probably have a conversation with you," Boyle said about his father. "I think you're a special person."
Dye said the incident inspired the family to learn CPR, because it saved her father-in-law's life.