Union-required CPR training saves member's life on Detroit job site

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Micah Parker woke up one September morning with his chest on fire and a worried feeling that something was wrong. 

He would have called off work, but he figured he would push through and figure out what was wrong later. So, on Sept. 13, the journeyman mason trudged off to another shift to end the week.

He grabbed a pack of TUMS and an energy drink ahead of time and got to work.

As the union members worked a job at Mann Elementary, Parker collapsed.

"The CPR just came to mind," said Alan Mamere, another mason. "That was it - just interlock as hard as I could really."

The quick thinking and recent training turned into a life-saving decision. It's a lesson that none of the workers will forget, especially after brushing off the union's required training as useless. 

"Honestly, in our local, everyone hates doing first aid CPR," said Parker.

Emergency medical services arrived soon after and got to work, helping revive him with a defibrillator. 

"After we shocked him, he started gaining consciousness," said Chris Photiades, an EMT with the Detroit Fire Department. "Just watching him go from being clinically dead to basically rising up from the stretcher."

After heading into surgery, physicians at Sinai Grace found Parker with a complete blockage of a main artery. 

"We went through the clog. It’s called balloon angioplasty and restored blood flow," said Dr. Carlos Oviedo, an interventional cardiologist at the Detroit Medical Center. 

Parker is currently on medical leave and still in recovery. He said on Tuesday that it would be a little while before he is back working, but he's just happy to be here talking about it. 

"I'm a testament the first aid CPR can save your life," he said.