San Jose woman suffers seizure while walking dogs, now searching for holiday hero who called 911

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A South Bay community is searching for a Good Samaritan whose quick actions may have saved a woman's life.

On Thanksgiving morning, Thuy Dao was walking her two dogs, Sam and Cody, near Rawlings Drive and Oyster Bay Drive in San Jose. Dramatic surveillance footage captured by neighbor, Matt Harmon, shows the terrifying moment Dao suddenly collapses.

She was suffering her first seizure.

"I remember crossing the streets," Dao told ABC7 News. "After that, I remember absolutely nothing."

The surveillance video then shows a man and his dog, walking over to Dao only seconds later.

"I found out a Good Samaritan came and pulled my phone out of my pocket, called 911 for me," she said. "He must've stayed with me until the fire department came. They called my fiance and the rest is history."

Dao said prior to the seizure, she wasn't feeling well and was on her way home-- she lived nearby.

"I said, 'If you can just keep going, the dogs will guide you home. The dogs will guide you home,'" she said.

Dao's only recollection she had involved being put onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Dao said a neurologist pointed to a combination of her new, no sugar, no wheat diet and high-intensity workouts as the possible cause of the seizure.

Now, she's searching for the man who made the call to 911, saving her from any lasting damage. Dao said she wants to thank him in person.

She described experiencing some continued fatigue and said she won't be able to drive for the next few months. However, Dao says the scare on Thanksgiving morning gave her even more reason to be thankful.

"It's very emotional for me to think about it," she said. "And to think that someone would just want to a help a total stranger."

While ABC7 News was interviewing Dao, another neighbor approached the seizure victim and said he connected with the Good Samaritan. The neighbor said the holiday hero did not wish to be identified but was touched that Dao shared her gratitude.

Still, Dao would like the opportunity to thank the holiday hero in-person.

"The quick reaction, I believe, saved my life," Dao said.