95-year-old man’s remarkable recovery sparks joyful reunion with lifesaving paramedics

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A 95-year-old Honolulu man who collapsed and stopped breathing while playing pool last month got to thank the paramedics who brought him back to life.

Alan Kagawa was the man brought back to life by paramedics at 8 Fat Fat Bar 8 and Grill. He told HNN he goes there every Monday and Wednesday to play pool.

On April 10, a Monday, he came to the bar like normal.

That evening, Honolulu EMS says they got a call that the 95-year-old collapsed.

Luckily an EMS unit was nearby, and paramedics were able to respond in 4 minutes, where they found Kagawa in cardiac arrest with no pulse.

“Every minute that goes by in cardiac arrest without CPR and AED, the survival rate drops approximately 10 percent,” said Honolulu EMS Director Dr. Jim Ireland.

Paramedics were able to perform lifesaving measures, and Kagawa started showing signs of life and was transported to the hospital, where he stayed for a month.

Honolulu EMS says their data shows that only 27 percent of cardiac arrest patients transported make it to the hospital with a pulse.

Only 11% of those patients survive, a percentage Kagawa is a part of.

On Tuesday, nearly two months after he stopped breathing, Kagawa could meet and thank the paramedics who saved his life.

“I started shooting pool, and the next thing I was gone. I don’t know what happened, but thanks to all of you, I am here today,” said Kagawa.

The reunion was just as important for the paramedics who responded to the Makiki call.

“You know this job is surrounded by a lot of sad things, and to be able to see you functioning and sitting with your family, it really reinforces what we do here and makes it all worthwhile,” said Kenneth Faria, a paramedic with Honolulu Medical Services.

Kagawa’s daughter says her father has now been cleared to return to his normal activities, which means going back to his favorite place to play pool at the 8 Fat Fat 8 Bar and Grill on Beretania Street.

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