OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – “Sorry. I’m emotional, but it gets that way,” Dewayne Glover said.
And how could he not? Going back to the scene of something traumatic always is.
“God had his hand in every part of this,” Glover said. “Three percent of the people survive what I went through, and only one percent come out with no heart damage, and I have none.”
It was a sunny day last June when Dewayne, his wife and their grandchildren went to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Dewayne’s sister-in-law, Jamie Barker, joined them. Jamie is a registered nurse.
“We were with the grandkids, and we wanted to go feed the giraffes, and we asked Dewayne to go over and have a seat at the bench so we could have a water break, and just within seconds his head went back,” Jamie said.
No signs. No warnings. Dewayne was in heart failure. Jamie began CPR, and before she knew it, they were surrounded by another nurse and soon a man named Wayne. Wayne works security at the zoo.
“She started doing compressions, and I started doing the breathing,” Jamie said. “It was a scary moment.”
Jamie couldn’t find a heart rate, and while the two nurses fought to bring Dewayne back, Wayne showed up. Wayne is also a firefighter. Keep that in mind.
“His heart would stop, and then we’d start CPR again. He was going in and out, and we just kept on,” Wayne said. “I ended up shocking him twice before EMSA got there.”
Dewayne remembers nothing.
“My head hit my chest, and that’s all I remember until I woke up the next morning at OU Medical,” he said. “They did two stints to stop the heart attack at OU.”
Dewayne ended up having five bypasses. He made a miraculous recovery. Dewayne is a retired firefighter, and one day while working out at the gym, he noticed a man wearing a Tinker Fire Department shirt.
“And I said, ‘I’m the guy who died at the zoo.’ He said, ‘You’re him?’ And he told me about Wayne. I was waiting for God’s answer. How to do this. This is it. All firefighters are family members,” Dewayne said.
All that time Dewayne had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to meet and thank Wayne in person. And that’s how this Pay It Forward came about.
“Dewayne, on behalf of First Fidelity Bank, I’d like to thank you for nominating a first responder who was there for you, and was there for our community when we have times in need. And with that, I would like to present you with $400. Now, let’s go pay it forward,” Jeff Hairston with First Fidelity Bank said.
Initially, Dewayne wanted to track down the EMSA paramedic who took over and kept him alive on the way to the hospital. That paramedic was supposed to meet Dewayne for this Pay It Forward, but was called out to an emergency and asked that the Pay It Forward award be given to Wayne. No matter which hero ends up with the recognition, Dewayne is here today because of all of them.
“Everything happened for a reason. Everybody was there at the right time,” Wayne said.
Nominate someone for Pay it 4Ward!
Pay It 4Ward is a program through which KFOR-TV viewers can help someone they know who could use extra cash immediately.
Each week someone will receive $400 cash because one of their friends or co-workers wants to “Pay It 4Ward.”
When nominating, make sure to include your name, daytime phone number, who you nominate and why. Please follow all the criteria when nominating.
Email all that detailed information to us for it to be considered.
Pay It 4Ward is sponsored by First Fidelity Bank.
