Angel Barr met with first responders who saved her life
The 24-year-old nurse suffered sudden cardiac arrest while running a marathon last month
Barr hugged those who saved her life, and spoke out about the experience on Tuesday, May 20
With hugs and smiles, Angel Barr and the first responders who saved her life reunited for the first time since she suffered sudden cardiac arrest during a marathon last month.
“Last time I saw Angel, she was battling for her life and was lifeless,” Fire Sgt. John Wilkinson told WTOP, one of the Washington, D.C., news outlets there to cover the emotional meeting. “Now to see her walking, talking, and no neurological deficits is phenomenal.”
By all accounts, Barr, a 24-year-old nurse, was one of the most unexpected patients Wilkinson and other first responders had ever come across.
Although she had never run a marathon before, Barr was young, athletic, and “very into fitness.” Barr recently took up running to improve her mental and physical health, she said.
“I felt physically and mentally fine that day; I was looking forward to running. It was something I liked doing,” Barr told DC News Now. “They told me I was a miracle, they told me a lot of people don’t survive what I went through, and hearing the story, I’m shocked.”
Barr told the news outlets she remembered everything about the routine morning before the April 6 “Cherry Blossom Ten Miler” race in East Potomac Park. But she doesn’t remember much from the race itself.
The nurse suddenly collapsed while running near Hains Point, the first responders told her on Tuesday, May 20, recounting the incident. Luckily, one bystander was a physician from George Washington University who quickly began CPR, according to WTOP. Minutes later, multiple fire boats arrived with a defibrillator, using the device on Barr before paramedics rushed her to the nearby hospital.
Barr remained in the hospital for about a week and told WTOP she’s recovered enough to be able to go back to work in the next few days.
“Do not take life for granted,” Barr told the outlet. “Keep working, striving to be the person that you are today and never stop growing. Life comes with a lot of challenges and obstacles, but those obstacles are meant to be overcome and not stop you up.”
The emergency responders gave Barr flowers and handed out hugs.
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“They told me that I was a miracle,” Barr told DC News Now, and added, “This was a gift from God.”
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