Minor league baseball player Isaac Wenrich, 26, was coaching his 13-year-old student, Nate Bowyer, in Arizona during the off season when he had a major “widowmaker” heart attack.
The teen called 9-1-1 and gave his coach chest compressions until emergency personal could arrive and quickly transport him to the hospital for live-saving open heart surgery.
“I went to go down and get my glove and when I looked up, he’s on the ground. He was breathing hard, like abnormal breathing and the lady told me to do chest compressions,” Bowyer told WLWT.
It was a scary moment for Bowyer, but he was able to maintain his cool to keep Wenrich alive.
Bowyer opted not to visit Wenrich in ICU after the episode. He didn’t want to see his coach on a ventilator. So, he waited to until Wenrich was in better condition before dropping by the hospital. Still, the two needed to be reunited on a baseball diamond.
Fast forward two months, and unbelievably, Wenrich is back playing catcher for the Florence Freedom in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Knowing that Wenrich and Bowyer need more time together after that traumatic day, Wenrich’s host family planned an epic surprise. They flew Bowyer into town to throw out the first pitch at Friday’s game.
Here’s their reunion:
What a moment. What a hero.
