After weeks of searching for the mystery men who saved her 15-month-old daughter's life, a South Jersey mother fought back tears on Monday as she thanked the strangers for coming to the rescue.
"I'm eternally grateful for you saving my daughter. She's grateful, too. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart," Shari Williams said to the men during a reunion on Monday, just feet from where the scare took place on May 13.
The good Samaritans turned out to be New Jersey State Police Detective Sgt. Michael Davis and his partner Detective Sgt. First Class Michael Flory, both wearing plain clothes the day they saved Williams' toddler Diamon.
Shari Williams had just pulled up to the Olive Garden in Deptford, New Jersey, to grab lunch with her two daughters when she noticed Diamon had begun suffering a seizure and wasn't breathing.
Although she is CPR-certified, Williams panicked and cried for help, worried her baby might die in her arms. Moments later, two men heard her high-pitched screams and rushed over to help.
Davis took the child from her mother's arms, cradled her atop the hood of her SUV and applied chest compressions.
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Shari Williams with Sgts. Flory (left) and Davis and her daughters Kristina, 3, and Diamon, 15 months.
"We thought it was a joke at first. When we saw the mother, she was definitely in a state of panic. The baby was just lifeless. So we knew this wasn't a joke. This was the real thing," said Flory.
The state police partners, known as the "Mike and Mike Show," have been working together for the past nine years, but that day was the first time they were in a situation to give life-saving CPR. Davis said Flory kept him calm while he administered the CPR.
"We were fortunate enough to be here at the right place at the right time," said Davis. "Hopefully anyone in our situation who had the training in CPR would perform the duty to help out their fellow man."
Once Diamon gasped for air, there was a sigh of relief for all those who gathered in the parking lot. The baby was transported to Cooper University Hospital and was discharged hours later, diagnosed with having had a febrile seizure spurred by a increase in temperature.
"We were praying she was OK," said Flory. "We were curious to see her outcome and hoped she made it OK."
Williams tried getting in touch with the men but didn't know their names. So she took to her Facebook page, asking for anyone who may have known them to come forward.
NBC10.com told Diamon's story and also posted Williams' plea to our Facebook page hoping to find the men. Then, two weeks ago, the men came forward.
"I give all the credit to your daughter. She is the one who is the fighter. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time," Davis said. "She's the hero in this whole situation. It was Diamon's day to shine. I appreciate being able to help her out."
Diamon is doing fine and is expected to grow out of the condition that caused the seizure, her mother said.
Once the reunion was over, Williams took Diamon and her 3-year-old sister to the lunch they never made it to three weeks ago.
Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.
