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FARMINGTON — Davis County sheriff's deputy Steve Lewis left his home in Clearfield on Dec. 29 to go for an afternoon jog, something he did regularly.
But just a few hundred yards down the road he suffered a heart attack. Lewis' heart stopped, he stopped breathing and he dropped to the sidewalk.
"And honestly, that's the last thing I remember. A few hundred yards from my house, I went down and I lost four days," he said.
Four months and four stents in his chest later, the 46-year-old — who has been back to work full time for a few weeks — stood before co-workers, friends and family Wednesday to honor four women who are responsible for him being alive.
A mother and daughter driving down the street were the first to spot Lewis on the ground and turned around to help him.
"I said, 'Monica, I think there's a guy over on the sidewalk,'" recalled Nancy Mikkelson, who was the first to spot Lewis. "And I saw this cute man and his sweet face and I could tell he was a good person. He was discolored."
As Mikkelson was checking Lewis' airway to see if it was blocked, two more women came across the scene and stopped to help.
Amazingly, all of the women — the first four people to find Lewis — knew CPR.
"I don't know what to say. It's a miracle for me. It couldn't have worked out better for me that that was the case. I don't know what else to say about it. I don't have the words to describe the miracle that it was," Lewis said.
On Wednesday, the Davis County Sheriff's Office awarded Anne Olsen, Monica Deis, Mikkelson and Elise Griggs with the Citizen's Award for lifesaving. Doctors and nurses at Davis Hospital and Medical Center and paramedics that responded to the scene were also honored.
Not only did the four women give Lewis CPR, they also kept track of vital information that they passed along to paramedics once they arrived.
Lewis said he is alive today "because of these ladies who stopped for me, a stranger. It's got nothing to do with me being a deputy, they had no idea I was a public servant," he said.
"Thank you so much for stopping to help a stranger. You only have to look around this room to realize the effect you had by helping one person that day," he told the women.
Lewis' wife, Susan, said she had no words to express her gratitude for the four women and all the medical personnel that day who came together "like pieces of a puzzle." Not only was her husband's life saved, his children, parents and friends were also saved.
"You especially saved my life. As I held his hand and watched these angel women administer CPR and assist Steve on the sidewalk that day, I pleaded for him to fight and stay with me. I pleaded because of how treasured our life is and how cherished our love is," Susan Lewis said while trying to fight back tears. "I only wanted more (time with him). More precious time to share with my Stevie. And you all gave me that."
The four women will also be presented with medals at the Davis County sheriff's gala later this year.
Sheriff's officials and medical personnel also used Wednesday's awards ceremony to encourage all citizens to learn CPR because you never know when you'll be able to use it to save someone's life.
"I'm excited to be here and be alive," Lewis said. "I don't know that I want to be celebrated. But I think the story itself should be celebrated."
