San Diego

Poway Man Hopes Sign Will Lead to Anonymous Hero

The Poway man collapsed on a sidewalk during a run through his neighborhood on Memorial Day

A heart attack victim saved by the CPR skills of an anonymous passerby hopes a handwritten sign will lead him to his hero so he can show his gratitude.

The Poway man collapsed on a sidewalk during a run through his neighborhood on Memorial Day. 

"He owes his life to whoever did CPR on him," the man's wife, Sarah, told NBC 7. The couple asked NBC 7 not to share their last name.

She said her husband, Phil, wasn’t breathing and had no pulse before a woman stopped her car, jumped out and performed CPR.

“He really, really wants to meet this person and thank this person who took care of him and saved his life literally," Sarah said.

Phil thought the best way to find his hero, who didn’t leave her name with medics or police at the scene, would be to post a sign on Community Road for drivers and passersby to see.

“For the person who did CPR on me on Memorial Day: Please call Poway Fire Chief Post @ (858) 668-4460 so I can thank you!” the sign reads.

“I think it’s a tremendous way to say thank you, you know, meet this person eye-to-eye,” neighbor Abby Baretto said.

Baretto saw the sign and immediately posted it on her Facebook account, and though it hasn’t led to finding the hero, the post has turned into a message board of sorts for people sharing kind words for the Good Samaritan and general gratitude for community kindness.

“Phil’s story of survival was an amazing miracle. Community kindness gives me hope in humanity,” one of the comments said.

Phil is out of the hospital and on his way to recovery, but a chance to say thank you to his hero would go a long way in his rehabilitation.

Baretto’s post has been shared countless times and Phil’s message has also been posted on other social media platforms, and it’s even making the rounds on a religious app.

“You saved my husband’s life, and my children’s father, and it’s something that not everyone would do,” Sarah said.

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