Grandfather Saved by Driver After Experiencing Heart Attack While Cycling

Mar. 15, 2025

Molly Ames and Mark Reissig, along with 911 operator Megan Williams.Photo:13 WHAM ABC News/YouTube

13 WHAM ABC News/YouTube

Speaking to local ABC affiliate stationWHAMfor a story on Thursday, Oct. 3, former teacher and grandfather-of-six Mark Reissig of Walworth — located just outside of Rochester — recalled how he was 16 miles into a routine bike ride earlier this summer when he started to feel fatigued. As he would later learn, he was experiencing the beginning of a heart attack.

“I’ve had no prior indication of any health problems with my heart whatsoever. No family history of it, and so it was devastating,” Reissig told the outlet.

According to Reissig, a health problem like this came out of the blue, considering he is an athlete who cycles extremely often.

“I used to bike 160 miles a week on average,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for 30 years. I actually am a triathlete.”

“He seemed like he was struggling. And something in my head just told me that something wasn’t right,” she said.

Town of Walworth, New York/Facebook

He recalled how he quickly told Ames to call 911 before he passed out, and Wayne County, N.Y., dispatcher Megan Williams advised her to perform CPR.

“I knew then we had to do CPR,” Williams recalled to WHAM. “Her helping and being calm with me, so I didn’t have to get her to do that…she was very willing to do that, and it helps a lot.”

“That’s how it was able to get done,” Ames added.

“I would hope anybody would do that,” she told WHAM. “I really do. I would hope anybody would do that.”

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“She is and forever will be my hero,” Reissig told WHAM of Ames. “She helped a total stranger, and without thinking about, how much it would have impacted her life, she just acted. And acted exactly the right thing at the exactly the right time. And I can never, never repay and thank her enough.”

source: people.com