Wareham High alum saved by son after suffering cardiac arrest

On Saturday, July 19, the Gomes family enjoyed a fun-filled day at the Natick Mall, ending the night with ice cream and a short ride home. 

Although, patriarch Robbie can't remember a single thing. 

While driving on Route 9 in the fast lane Robbie, a Wareham native, slumped over in his seat and began suffering a cardiac arrest. With his wife Jennie in the passenger seat and his two children Erin and Josh in the back, the truck began to veer toward the guard rail. 

Ever the jokester, Jennie said for just a split second she thought her husband was just being funny.

"I grabbed his face and said, 'Robbie, Robbie.' I didn't know if he was having a seizure. He didn't have any heart issues whatsoever," she said. 

That's when 16-year-old Josh sprang to action.

Reaching over his father, Josh picked up his leg and pushed it into the brake in order to stop a collision with the guard rail. As the car slowed Josh took no time to rest. 

"I hopped out of the car, went over to his door and his lock was on," he said. "So I ran back in, unlocked the door and yelled at her to put on the hazards."

After putting the vehicle into park, the car behind the Gomes that held Navy Seal Deondre Carr stopped to help. The pair pulled Robbie out and laid him on the side of Route 9 as those around them called for 911. 

With cars rushing past on the busy Saturday night, Josh felt for a pulse that wasn't there. Realizing Robbie wasn't breathing, he began to perform CPR on his father — a skill he learned just recently.

As a student at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School, Josh learned CPR in health class. He said he isn't quite sure what led him to work as fast as he did. 

"It just kind of happened naturally. As I did things more problems came up and I eliminated them and just moved onto the next," he said. 

Josh said he felt like he was doing CPR for a while with no result before his father started to cough and gasp for air. When the paramedics arrived they used the defibrillator to shock his heart.

"They had to shock him quite a few times and that reset my relief and hopes. But now he's here and I can talk to him. I'm feeling great," he said. 

Robbie was rushed to the MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and later transferred to Tufts Medical Center in Boston. He has no memory of the entire day and beginning of his hospital stay — the details of the crash all came secondhand. 

"I was just like, 'You did what! How? How'd you know to do that?'" he said. "It blows my mind."

The family doesn't say it's luck but just happenstance that everything lined up perfectly. Jennie said she was glad it all happened the way it did.

"I'm beyond grateful. I thought we lost him — it's just so emotional," she said. 

The Gomes household has looked a little different since Robbie returned home. With fruit bouquets and cards peppered around, the family have been receiving well wishes from the moment the news broke.

The class president of Wareham High School's class of 1988, Robbie was born and raised in the gateway town. He said many people he went to school and grew up with reached out including his kindergarten teacher Ms. Kuppens.

"Taking the time to read the posts and all of the love — it's just amazing. It makes me feel good as a father and as a parent." Robbie said. "I have people friending me on Facebook just so they can wish us the best, it's great." 

Erin and Jennie plan on taking their own CPR courses in the coming months. Jennie, a teacher at Middleboro Middle School, said that she wants to look into providing the same first aid program to her district. 

For such a scary and fast-paced situation, Josh advises the public to do whatever feels right. 

"Think before you act, don't be irrational," he said. "And definitely enroll in CPR class. I never thought I would need it. Unfortunately it happened to my father with my entire family in the car. If I had never taken that course, who knows what would have happened?"

Robbie now has his pacemaker installed and is taking it easy. The family is trying to get back to normal alongside the recent influx of attention as they enjoy the last days of summer with their two cats by their side.

As for Josh, he said he appreciates the support, but that he doesn't need validation. 

"I'm just happy he's here and well. That's the most important thing," Josh said. "Just seeing him here, it's good enough for me."