DR MARCUS Rodrigs is one of the lucky 10 per cent.
Almost six months after he suffered a cardiac arrest that left him dead for several minutes, he was able to personally thank the paramedics that brought him back to life.
Up until the night of April 29 at the local bowling club, Dr Rodrigs was a fit and healthy senior accounting teacher at the University of Newcastle who loved dancing and bike riding in his spare time.
"Suddenly I just collapsed and fell to the ground," he said.
"One minute I'm enjoying myself with friends, the next I'm in ICU with all these tubes, it was very shocking.
"When I was dead I saw these bright, brilliant lights heard three words; 'Go serve again' - I don't know what it was but it's good to be back to help my students, family and friends.
"Getting to shake the hands of the paramedics who saved my life is beyond words, it's so emotional to see people who if not for them and the Lord - I wouldn't be here."
There's never a right place, right time for a cardiac arrest - but Dr Rodrigs was close to it in a serendipitous string of incredibly good luck.
The paramedics were mere minutes away when they were diverted from another job to help Dr Rodrigs, who was receiving CPR from a bystander but wasn't breathing and had no heartbeat.
Among them was intensive care paramedic Trent Crosdale.
"All of the stars seemed to align for him, to have people there as quickly as possible, including people who attempted bystander CPR, gave him the best chance of survival," he said.
"It's good to see the positive side of what we do day-to-day, because we do see a lot of negative in the world.
"For him to actually catch up with us and to see he's back living his life almost how he was prior to his event is pretty unique, it's not something we get to do often.
"When 90 per cent of the community may not survive, there's a large proportion of people who don't have outcomes like Marcus', it's good to see he is one of the 10 per cent."
The paramedics gave Dr Rodrigs a copy of his scan, which pinpoints the moment his heart started beating again.
It's something he will treasure for the rest of his life.
"This really made me value each day, each minute and second of life, I keep telling everyone to be kind and help people - because you don't know what tomorrow holds," he said.
Dr Rodrigs said he is grateful to his daughter Marcia, son Cyrus and his son-in-law Luke who have helped him recover, as well as the surgeons, cardiologists and nurses who supported him through his triple bypass surgery.
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