First responders aid man suffering heart attack, help finish his yard work

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. -- A Florida man who suffered a heart attack is thanking first responders for not only saving his life, but for helping him finish the yard work the medical emergency interrupted.

Gene Work was laying sod in his front yard with Mark Rouco in Pasco County, Florida Saturday and trying to get the job done in time as a deadline from Work's homeowners association was approaching.

But the task was interrupted when Work suddenly had a heart attack.

While in the middle of his heart attack, Work told his wife, Melissa Work, to finish laying the sod. In a Facebook post, Melissa Work wrote, "It's ALL he kept asking about literally during a massive heart attack."

Work went to the hospital as Rouco stayed behind to finish laying the sod himself.

That's when Rouco saw a fire truck and an ambulance coming back to the home with firefighters and EMTs.

Rouco believed they had arrived to check on him, but much to his surprise, they came back to help finish laying the sod so it didn't die, knowing that Work would not be able to finish it in time.

Melissa Work wrote on Facebook:

"They came back!!! They saved his life, dropped him off and then cared enough to save our GRASS!!
They didn't know our HOA was going to fine us.
They didn't know that this guy's wife (Me) is about to fight for my own life during my bone marrow transplant next month.
They didn't know that my husband pawned his favorite gun to pay for the sod that he thought was going to die.
They didn't know all we have been through as a little family.
They simply saw someone in need, something in need and did this for us.
This wasn't in their job description.
We have no words. Just sobbing."

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