By Kirk Boutselis, Sun Correspondent
Lowell Sun (Massachusetts)
Copyright 2006 MediaNews Group, Inc.
LOWELL, Mass. — Gary Richards was enjoying a carefree day in his pool with his two young daughters when horror struck late last month.
The 42-year-old Pawtucketville resident, who has weathered diabetes since he was 9, reached a critically low blood sugar and entered a diabetic shock as he collapsed in the shallow end of the 6-foot-deep in-ground pool.
The stay-at-home dad struggled to come to his senses but, in a haze, walked out deeper and deeper into the pool until he started flailing about. He later lost consciousness and sank toward the bottom.
“Usually I can feel (a diabetic episode) coming on, but this one just nailed me,” said Richards of the May 21 incident at his Corinthian Drive home.
His two young girls — Hailee, 7, and Hanna, 5 — petrified by what was happening to their father, somehow managed to make sense of the situation and reacted just like their parents had taught them.
“The girls screamed bloody murder and called for help right away,” said Annmarie Richards, who was with friends in Florida for her 40th birthday and received the phone call that every spouse dreads.
Next door, Alex Azevedo, 16, was nearly asleep when he heard the girls scream. Looking out the window, he saw Richards face-down in the water.
After alerting his brother Marcio, 19, downstairs, the two ran out the door and jumped the fence between the two yards. They both dove in and dragged Richards to the pool’s stairs.
Hanna Richards had also jumped into the pool in an attempt to save her father as Hailee was on the phone with their mother.
In a split-second decision, Alex started to perform CPR, guided over the phone by EMT dispatcher Tina Page. Five minutes later, the ambulance arrived as well as a swarm of other neighbors looking to help.
Richards was breathing again at this point, but EMTs worked on him for more than 30 minutes before transporting him to Lowell General Hospital, where he remained on life support until the next afternoon.
Annmarie Richards said she “begged and pleaded” with airport staff in Orlando to get her on the next flight back to Boston.
“There are actually good people out there,” she said as she remembered how passengers gave up their seats after finding out what had happened. She finally got to see her husband shortly after midnight.
“He reached out for my hand and tried to communicate, but couldn’t,” she said. “It was miraculous how quickly he recovered.”
Last night, Gary Richards, looking healthy and upbeat, said he lived a miracle as he walked about the mayor’s reception room in City Hall.
“Everything went my way,” he said.
Mayor Bill Martin bestowed special citations to Hailee and Hanna Richards and the Azevedo brothers “for showing courage and level-headedness in a crisis,” as well as “selfless efforts” and heroism.
Besides both families, neighbors and friends flooded the room taking video and snapping photos of the award ceremony.
Neighbor Bruce Walazek said he will always remember that day.
“When they took him away in a stretcher I thought he was dead,” he said.
Richard’s wife was also shocked at the turn of events.
"(Alex and Marcio) acted without any hesitation or any thought and dove in,” she said. “We barely know them ... but the fact that it was so quickly shocked me. Most adults couldn’t react as quickly as they did. I’m every single day thankful that (Gary’s) here and for the friends and family we have that came running.”
Mayor Martin said Richard’s two daughters and the Azevedo brothers personify what Lowell stands for.
“This really shows what a great city we have. Neighbors helping neighbors. We could not ask for more,” he said.