Survivor: Jeffrey Grant Jones
Date of Event:
Rescuer(s):Zachary Ray Jones
Twenty-one-year-old Zachary Ray Jones saved Jeffrey Grant Jones. One moment Jeffrey was standing and the next, his heart stopped. Zach caught Jeffrey as he fell. Zach immediately began CPR; calm, focused, and brave. He called 911 and never stopped, keeping air moving into Jeffrey’s lungs. Zach followed the ambulance to the hospital. He sat beside Jeffrey, shaken and in tears. Later, a doctor told Jeffrey that if Zach had not been there, he would not be alive. Not only did he save Jeffrey’s life, but the CPR Zach performed gave Jeffrey the oxygen his brain needed to prevent permanent damage. Jeffrey was given a second chance at life because Zach refused to give up on him.
When Roles Reversed
Sadly, in 2021, at just 23 years old, Zach was diagnosed with blood cancer. This time, it was Jeffrey’s turn to be by his side. For two years Jeffrey sat with him through chemotherapy, hospital stays, and two remissions. Zach fought with the same courage he showed the day he saved Jeffrey. But at 25, the cancer returned aggressively and within a month, Zach was gone.
Jeffrey held his hand for twelve hours before he passed. Since losing him, the grief has been overwhelming.
But Jeffrey carries the one truth every day: Zach saved his life so that Jeffrey could be there at the end of his.