The likelihood of this sort of reunion seemed improbable at best.

Arthur Foley walked up to firefighters and other emergency services personnel wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a warm smile. He extended a hand, then gently wrapped each of the individuals in an embrace.

He would have hugged tighter except for some tenderness in his ribs, a lingering reminder of an unforgettable day that he simply can’t remember.

“It’s a miracle to be here,” he said. “It really is.”

Foley’s appearance in front of Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue’s Station 53 on Race Road in Coupeville last week defied the odds.

Only 10 days earlier, he was found lying on his back in the street in his Admiral’s Cove neighborhood with no signs of life, a result of a cardiac event.

Central Whidbey Fire arrived on the scene to find Foley with no pulse and not breathing.

Through a collaboration of life-saving efforts between fire department personnel and Whidbey General Hospital paramedics, Foley was revived and taken to the hospital with a fighting chance for survival.

He was transferred to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, where he was hooked up to life support systems and stayed for nearly a week.

Foley, 61, had suffered a full cardiac arrest the morning of June 14, his wife, Elaina Foley, was told.

“The doctor said normally people don’t go through that and walk out of the hospital,” she said.

But Foley did, a testament to modern medicine and evolving and improved life-saving tactics.

And perhaps also a little luck.

“I feel blessed,” Foley said.

It took Central Whidbey Fire about six minutes to reach the scene and start Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, and other advanced life-support efforts, said Capt. Jerry Helm.

Helm, who lives in the same neighborhood as the Foleys, was off duty but arrived at about the same time following a short drive from his home.

Fire department personnel started in on chest compressions to circulate oxygenated blood through Foley’s body to protect vital organs. In his throat, they inserted a tube that is connected to an inflatable bag to essentially breath for the patient.

“If somebody’s not breathing, we’re going to breath for them,” Helm said. “If someone’s heart is not pumping, we’re going to pump it for them. If somebody’s bleeding, we’re going to stop the bleeding.”

Central Whidbey Fire coordinated life-support efforts with Whidbey General paramedics after they got on the scene. Shortly after paramedics administered drugs, a pulse was detected, Foley’s arms started moving and he started breathing on his own.

Helm said Foley had gone about 10 minutes without a pulse from the time they arrived on the scene.

How long he was laying in the road where he was found by a neighbor just after 6 a.m. is unknown.

Foley and his wife wanted to come to the fire station in person to express their gratitude.

Seven Central Whidbey Fire personnel responded to help Foley. They consisted of captains Andy Griffin and Helm, lieutenant Derik Vrable and firefighters James Meek, Kyle Jacobsen, Jeffrey Rhodes and Robert Moore.

The hospital crew that worked on Foley were paramedics Matt Melena and Avis Bozeman.

Two Island County sheriffs also responded to the emergency.

The choreographed efforts by fire department and hospital personnel demonstrate what properly performed, timely CPR can do to lead to optimum results, Central Whidbey Fire chief Ed Hartin said.

Time is the most crucial factor, he said. That’s why he said the department is committed to training citizens how to perform basic “hands-only” CPR.

It can be critically important for those in the community to start CPR as early as possible, Hartin said.

“We will come out and teach hands-only CPR anywhere in the district,” Hartin said. “We’ll come to your house.”

Foley and his wife of 37 years are in the process of having a new house built on 10 acres in Coupeville.

They have two adopted daughters. Their oldest, Amanda Hoesman-Foley, recently graduated at the top of the class at Coupeville High School with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

A spiritual man, Foley said he believes there might be a special reason he was saved. He said he feels blessed by the love he and his family have felt from others.

“One thing I learned is we all touch peoples’ lives,” Foley said. “I never knew how much.”