A 77-year-old Florida woman who went into cardiac arrest while driving to a doctor’s appointment owes her life to a stranger who contacted emergency services and prayed over the elderly woman until help arrived.
Joyce Long was driving on Normandy Boulevard when she slipped into cardiac arrest last week, as WJXT reported on Monday. Long’s car began to drift into heavy traffic as she suffered chest pains, and other drivers honked their horns at the older woman in frustration.
One driver on the scene, Retonia Watts, suspected that something might be wrong, and she pulled over once Long’s car coasted to a stop. Joyce Long’s daughter, Jennifer Long, believes that her mother would have died if not for Watts’ intervention.
“She’s barely able to drive because she’s having chest pains and is in the process of cardiac arrest,” Jennifer Long told WJXT. “Mrs. Watts was passing, blew the horn, and something just told her to stop.”
According to Watts, she wasn’t sure what she could do to assist the other woman, but faith and instinct took over.
The surprise rescuer stepped out of her vehicle and asked the elderly woman if she was alright, to which she replied “no” before passing out.
After calling 911, Watts remained at the woman’s side and prayed over her.
“I laid my hands on her and said, ‘Hold on, hold on. God got you,’” she told the outlet. “Rescue came quickly. It was destined for me to be there at that particular time.”
When the paramedics arrived, they had to shock Long’s heart twice and perform CPR three times, as WJXT reported, with doctors describing the elderly woman’s survival as miraculous.
Jennifer Long is especially grateful to Watts for saving her mom, as she recently lost her son due to a medical complication.
“Losing two family members in six months would have been too much to bear,” the elderly woman’s daughter told WJXT.
The pain of losing a loved one is something that Watts can understand, having recently lost her brother-in-law. Coincidentally, the woman’s brother-in-law died from a medical condition while he was in a vehicle.
Due to what happened to her sister’s husband, the Christian woman felt called to intervene when she noticed something amiss with Long.
“My sister had just lost her husband, and he actually passed in his car. And to be honest, I had, I got a glimpse of that when ... I saw her. I thought about, ‘What if someone would have been there to help save his life?’ And I felt like I had to help,” Watts said.
Joyce Long is still recovering from cardiac arrest. The 77-year-old woman also recorded a message for the woman who saved her life, expressing gratitude for the timely rescue.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Watts. I appreciate you helping me in my time of need,” Long said in the recording. “I don’t know what happened to me. I became incapacitated, but you were a great help to me.”
“You asked me a couple of times if I was OK, and I told you no,” she continued. “You helped me out and contacted my family. I just want to say thank you. You were a blessing to me.”
For Watts, the expression of gratitude is enough, and she thanked the Lord for allowing her to be in the right place at the right time to save the other woman’s life.
“You’re welcome,” Watts said in response to the recorded message from the woman she helped. “I just thank God. Nobody owes me anything.”
