Cramerton man gifts police department with defibrillators after officer saves his life

CRAMERTON, N.C. — A Cramerton man said he would have died from a heart attack if a police officer didn’t arrive at the right time to save him. Now that he has a second chance at life, he’s using it to make sure others get a second chance, too.

Rick Brooks knows firsthand that a defibrillator can save lives. “It will tell you exactly what to do,” he said.

But it’s something he didn’t have on Jan. 3. “I cardiac arrested three times,” he said.

Brooks says he passed out on the living room floor of his home. His wife tried to help, but she could only do so much.

“I would have been dead,” Brooks said. But then Officer Joel Kulish arrived.

“He said ‘I’m most likely going to have to break his ribs so we can start a massage on his heart,’” Brooks told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon. Kulish massaged the 70-year-old’s heart until medics arrived.

“I’m fortunate to be alive,” he said.

Brooks was in recovery for six weeks. “My wife said you’ve got another chance,” he said.

He decided to buy defibrillators and give them to the police department so they could have them in more patrol cars.

“Not wanting anybody to experience what I experience,” he said. “This is not anything more than trying to give back.”

Brooks says he’s grateful for Officer Kulish. He got a chance to thank the officer during a city council meeting.

Brooks will present the devices to the department during a concert downtown on Friday.

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