A 19-year-old who was taking part in a citizen’s fire academy demonstration and suffered a heart attack is working towards his dream of becoming a firefighter.
Jakob Perez was climbing to the fourth floor of the fire training tower during the fire academy graduation on May 9. As he lifted a hoseline, he was stricken.
"I was just so confused, I didn’t know what was happening, I didn’t know what was going on," Perez recalled to Fox 4 DFW.
He collapsed and firefighters began immediate resuscitation efforts.
His heart stopped for 26 minutes after he suffered an aortic aneurysm.
During surgery, he received a valve from a pig's heart. Since then, he's been undergoing intense rehabilitation.
"Every aspect of living for me has been altered," he said.
"I remember when I ran my first mile at rehab, it was... surreal. Because I’ve never been able to run a mile in my entire life," Perez recalled.
Now, Perez wants to work hard to become a firefighter.
"I couldn’t be more thankful, but it makes me want to come back, and I want to do that now," Perez said.
Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said his firefighters visited with Perez while he was in the hospital, and now they are working with him to help him achieve his goal of getting on the job.
