It was Father's Day, June 19, 2022, and Mickey Snyder was spending the day with his father, Paul Snyder Sr., of Hempfield. After eating (cheesesteaks from a local restaurant, per Paul Sr.'s request), the Snyder family decided to catch a movie at the theater. Fifteen minutes into the film, Paul Sr. started to feel abnormal and excused himself to the restroom.

Mickey's gut instinct told him to follow Paul Sr. into the bathroom, where he found his father sitting down with his head in his hands. After unsuccessfully convincing his father to go the hospital, Mickey instead took him home. Once home, Paul Sr. insisted he was fine and urged his son to leave, but Mickey's instincts again advised him, prompting him to stay. Moments later, Paul Sr. began convulsing on the couch.

"It happened so fast," said Mickey. "I thought he was having a seizure." Mickey's wife, Tracy, called an ambulance and began CPR while Mickey called his brother, Paul Jr., who lives in Columbia. Paul Jr. arrived shortly after and took over administering CPR to his father for close to seven minutes, until a team of first responders from Lancaster EMS arrived. "I thought for sure that we were going to lose him," said Mickey. "The paramedics told us that he had a 20% chance of living."

Paul Sr.'s vital signs strengthened after CPR and the use of the paramedics' AED, and he was taken to Lancaster General Hospital by the Lancaster EMS team, where the family learned that Paul Sr. was having a heart attack. He received further treatment at the hospital, and his condition stabilized. The first responders credited the early application of CPR by the family with saving Paul Sr.'s life.

"Those seven minutes of CPR felt like an hour," said Paul Jr., who had received CPR training 15 years ago through a program at his church. This was the first time Paul Jr. administered CPR in a real-life scenario, having only practiced on training dummies in the past.

On Nov. 1, Lancaster EMS and the West Hempfield Township Police Department recognized first responders Dzenis Alagic, Ashlea Stolzfus, Vickie Martin, Dawn Ray and Robert Patterson for their efforts that saved Paul Sr.'s life on Father's Day. Had they not come to the aid of the Snyder family as quickly as they did, Paul Sr. would not have survived the heart attack.

Paul Sr. remained in the hospital for several days to receive care, and his health has steadily improved in the months since. Once a week, he returns to the hospital for intense cardio therapy and safety training. "My time could have been up," said Paul Sr. "A lot of people might have given up on a 78-year-old man. I'm so thankful."