It was the Fourth of July in 2006, and 53-year-old Chris Yuergens' life was about to be forever changed.
The day started very ordinary. Yuergens was mowing his yard.
"We were planning to have a a barbecue with our kids and grandkids," he recalled.
It was a hot day. He was just finishing up, throwing out some yard waste.
"I felt a pain in my chest, and I thought I pulled a muscle," said Yuergens. "I went in to the garage and I sat down and my wife came out and she said, 'What's the matter?' and I said, 'I don't know. I don't feel well.'"
They went inside. Yuergens had some water, took an aspirin and got in the shower. The pain struck again.
"I yelled out to my wife and was telling her she needed to call 911. Something was wrong with me," said Yuergens.
His wife Geri called 911. Farmington Hills EMS quickly arrived.
"I lost consciousness and that was, that was it," said Yuergens.
HIs heart had stopped beating.
"Not only did Mr. Yuergens go into cardiac arrest once, he actually went into cardiac arrest three times in our presence, and each time he did, we recognized it right away, we defibrillated him," said Jim Etzin, EMS coordinator for the Farmington Hills Fire Department.
When Yuergens woke up in the hospital --
"My wife leaned over gently and she just whispered in my ear and told me that I had a heart attack," said Yuergens.
Yuergens survived the type of heart attack often referred to as "the widowmaker."
It's stories like his that Dr. Sanford Vieder wants people to hear. Vieder is the chairman of emergency medicine at Beaumont Hospital, Farmington Hills. In recent months, he's noticed a disturbing trend in the ER.
"Patients are more likely to not call 911 and try and drive themselves to the emergency department," said Vieder. "Roughly half of all patients that have a heart attack actually drive themselves to the hospital."
It's a decision that puts the patient at risk and other people on the road. It can also reduce their odds of survival and level of recovery.
EMS can administer potentially lifesaving medications in the field, use a defibrillator if needed and send an EKG to the hospital before the patient even arrives.
"We're getting that person directly to the care that they need," said Vieder. "Those minutes really add up. When we have that heads up, and we're able to get prepared in advance, that advantage is significant. We see the differences between those individuals who do drive themselves versus those who come in by ambulance, and it's pretty remarkable what that difference is."
There are many reasons people don't call 911.
"The common theme is always, 'I didn't wanna bother somebody else,' or 'I didn't wanna bother the fire department,' or 'I didn't think my condition was severe enough to call 911,'" said Vieder. "That's exactly what the 911 system is there for."
Another major concern is cost.
"Really think about the bigger picture," said Vieder. "First and foremost, your health and safety."
Etzin also wants people to understand that not every call to 911 results in a bill.
"When we come there and we perform our assessments and our interventions, it doesn't always result in transportation to the hospital," said Etzin. "I can't speak for all services, but I will say, in most cases, if we're not taking that person to the hospital, they're not receiving a bill for our services."
To Yuergens and his family, that call to 911 has been priceless. It's been nearly 12 years since that fateful day.
Yuergens says if his wife had not been there to call 911, the outcome would likely have been very different.
"She probably would have came home and found me either in the garage or in the house dead," said Yuergens.
He is grateful every day for his second chance, especially with his grandchildren.
"The last one was born in November of last year, and I still, I cry. I mean it's just holding him in my arms, when they sit there and they look at me," said Yuergens. "That's something that I would've missed."
"I thank the Lord every day, every day, every day," said Geri Yuergens. "We're lucky because not a lot a people make it."
Their advice to others:
"You need to call 911, and they'll help you," said Geri Yuergens.
It's advice echoed by the experts.
"If you even think about -- 'Should I call?' -- if you ask yourself that question, the answer is yes, go ahead and do it," said Vieder.