Years later, Sarasota man wants to thank the 'angel' who saved him

Steve Scott says he has a renewed lease on life thanks to an unknown good Samaritan who jumped into action to save his life when he suffered a major heart attack en route to church.

The 70-year-old now says he “wants to pay it forward.”

"All I remember is that I went down, and that’s it.”

While riding his bicycle two years ago this month, Scott says he felt sharp pain in his chest, couldn’t breathe and fell from his bike on his weekly Sunday morning ride to Twelve Springs Church in the Rosemary District.

An “angel” witnessed it while driving in her car and promptly sprung into action, administering CPR until EMTs arrived to take him to be treated at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

“All I remember is that I went down, and that’s it,” says Scott, who woke up in the hospital and was told by the doctors that it’s a miracle he was alive, thanks to the ambitious efforts of the “angel” who actually was an off-duty nurse.  “They didn’t know anything more about her except that the EMTs told them she said she was a nurse and leaped into action because she saw me on the ground.”

Two years later, he’s finally in good health and has been thinking about his savior so he can know who she is and properly thank her. “Dinner at Duval’s or at least a gift certificate there for her to enjoy with whomever she chooses.”

Since the heart attack, life has not been easy for Scott.

He says it triggered bipolar disorder — a condition that he has had on and off over his lifetime, and that he was very weak and spent most of his time in bed at the Jefferson Center Retirement Home where he resides.

“I’m now back to my normal self and have been very active promoting his blog, “AllUSCitizensShouldVote.com," a site he began prior to the heart attack that is now dedicated to the Good Samaritan, Sarasota County Rescue 1 and emergency department at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

The site calls for the concept of “Ranked Choice Voting” and the abolishment of the Electoral College.

Scott says with all the negative news in the world today, he wanted to share his as a chance of pace.

"I think readers will be interested in hearing there is still good out there in the world, and one of those good citizens is an unknown nurse in Sarasota with whom I am eternally grateful,” he said.