Woman trying to find ‘guardian angel’ who saved her life after she suddenly stopped breathing

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) - A Virginia woman is hoping to find the person who helped her survive a scary medical situation last month.

Melinda Pereira says Echo Lake Park normally provides her a peaceful escape from reality, but that quickly changed on Nov. 5.

“Something just felt off,” she said. ”Apparently, I went unconscious.”

The next memory Pereira said she had was her waking up in the hospital, where she later learned she had gone into cardiac arrest.

Pereira said first responders credited the quick thinking of a good Samaritan for saving her life.

“Apparently, I was not breathing, no pulse, and unconscious, and some guardian angel that started the first steps to life-saving measures is why I’m still here today,” she said.

As Pereira continues on her road to recovery, the identity of the mystery bystander weighs heavily on her mind.

“The doctors said if everything wasn’t in alignment, it would’ve been a different outcome,” she said. “Nobody knows her name, they just said she was a nurse and that she did CPR, and I have the sore ribs to prove it, and that her efforts were vital to my recovery, to my survival.”

Standing in the same spot where the woman jumped in to help, Pereira says she is determined to track her down.

“Don’t be a ghost,” she said. “Let me know who you are.”

Pereira’s ultimate wish is to thank her personally for her heroic deed.

“I have three kids, and I have six grandchildren. All who came together during this episode to the hospital. They wouldn’t have me if it were not for you,” she said. “I think you were meant to be in the spot that you were in.”

If you have any information about the identity of the mystery bystander, email Desiree Montilla: desiree.montilla@12onyourside.com.