Miracle? Homeless man performs CPR and saves man who was dead for 28 minutes

A Massachusetts father is trying to repay the homeless man who helped saved his life last summer when he suffered a massive heart attack that left him dead for nearly 30 minutes.

The two men reunited Wednesday for the first time to talk about that day.

What happened?

On Aug. 7, George Dakin was walking down the sidewalk in Hyannis in front of Champ Homes, an organization that provides transitional housing for the homeless, when he collapsed to the ground.

As luck would have it, Austin Davis was there and jumped into action using the CPR skills from a class he'd taken at the Champ House two weeks earlier.

"I thought he was gone," Davis told WFXT-TV.

Davis, along with the help of two other staff members continued CPR until paramedics arrived.

"All I did was pump and pray, you know. I just hoped he would make it," Davis added.

"They shocked me four times on the ground and it was still flat-lined," Dakin said.

Dakin's heart attack was the type medical professionals call a widow-maker; his left descending anterior artery was 100 percent blocked.

"He's really a medical miracle. He was dead for 28 minutes," his daughter said.

Dakin now calls Aug. 7 his new birthday.

How is Dakin repaying the favor?

Dakin and his family helped Davis secure a full-time job at a local hotel.

They also set up a GoFundMe page and raised enough money to buy Davis a car.

"It's going to allow me freedom. I can move around and get to places I couldn't get to before," Davis said.

What else?

It was the fourth time Davis performed CPR on someone and each time he saved a life.