Referee who survived heart attack and reunited with player who saved him is back on the court

Not many of us get to go back to the scene in their demise, however John Sculli used to be in a position to head proper back to the fitness center the place he died — and meet the guy who saved his lifestyles. 

Sculli, a basketball referee, used to be officiating a semi-pro sport between the Jamestown Jackals and Toledo Glass City in June 2022 when he used to be struck by way of a “widow maker” heart attack — so named as a result of few folks live on such an tournament. 

Doctors even instructed his fiancee, Donna, that just about nobody comes back from widow makers. 

“He’s that one percent,” Donna mentioned. 

“I was in the right place at the right time,” mentioned Sculli. “I mean, that’s why I’m here.” 

Within seconds of his cave in, a Toledo player named Myles Copeland rushed to his facet and began doing CPR. Copeland, a ahead on the group, used to be additionally a Toledo firefighter only a 12 months out of the academy who knew precisely what to do when Sculli fell. 

“I’ve never witnessed someone just collapse, but I knew what had to be done,” Copeland mentioned. 

Knowing that he helped save Sculli’s lifestyles, Copeland mentioned, is “honestly one of the best feelings in the world.” 

When Sculli returned to that fateful fitness center, Copeland used to be invited to prevent by way of. It used to be the first time the pair met since the day of Sculli’s cave in. 

Since that day, Sculli has passed through a quadruple bypass surgical operation and returned to refereeing. He’s refereed nearly 50 video games this season and turns out none the worse for put on — all due to Copeland, who made the final Cinderella tale come true.  

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