Man who collapsed while driving tour bus to Jones Beach concert thanks doctors who saved his life

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Friday, November 17, 2023
Man who collapsed while driving tour bus thanks doctors who saved his life
Anthony Carlo has more on the reunion.

NEW HYDE PARK, Long Island (WABC) -- The last time healthcare workers saw Brock Calhoun he was practically on his deathbed. His daughter was rushing to be by her father's side.

On Friday, more than two years later, Brock and his family got to say thank you to the doctor and nurse who saved his life.

"Had it not been for Dr. Chester and her nurse, the two of us would not be standing here today," said Brock's wife, Vonda Calhoun.

The road to recovery began in September of 2021. Brock, from Georgia, had just driven through the night to get a tour bus for the Zac Brown Band to Jones Beach in time for a concert - only to collapse in the bus.

Brock's guardian angels in white coats, just happened to be on site. Dr. Chester and Nurse Wynter used all their might to pull Brock out from behind the wheel as he went into a seizure and stopped breathing. They managed to stabilize him.

"What we are trained to do is until the last breath, just keep going. York keep working, you keep going until the backups come to transport him - we were not going to let him go - we were not going to do that," said Dr. Michelle Chester, Senior Director at Northwell Health.

Talk about fate - ordinarily, these medical professionals would have never been out at the Jones Beach Theater that early in the day, had it not been for COVID-19 testing. Medical intervention certainly saved Brock's life, but the Calhouns say it was also divine intervention.

"God's timing. God's timing. Just being at the right place at the right time," said Vonda.

Brock's heart stopped that day. Friday's reunion at Northwell Health proved he has a new lease on life and new friends.

"I'm just so thankful. Just to have them - a new part of my family now. They are family now," Brock said.

He is also thankful for more time with his daughter, Ariana.

"We go fishing. We always watch football together. So not having him would have been very hard for me," Ariana said.

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