OCALA-

Doctors call him a miracle.
An Ocala man dies twice after an aneurysm in his spleen ruptured.

"I just got to a point where I felt my spirit and my body gave up. I said I am just going to give up this is it," said Dereck Welzh.

On October 15, 2012, 53-year old Welzh experienced something that changed his life forever.

"I died in the ambulance on my way from the other facility. I was out. Heart stopped and everything,"said Welzh.

Parademics were able to revive him while on their way to Ocala Regional Medical Center.
Doctor Darwin Ang said once Welzh got to Ocala Regional he was bleeding to death, had low blood pressure and wasn't breathing very well.

"As we are moving him from the emergency room gurney to the hospital operating room table, that's when his heart stopped that's when his heart stopped," said Dr. Ang.

"I was on the table. I died again," said Welzh.

Dr.Ang and Dr. Alejandro Garcia had no choice but to perform an emergency thoracotomy.

"We cut down on his chest clamped his aorta, stopped all blood leaving his body in his abdomen so we can catch up and have time," said Dr. Ang.

The doctors removed his spleen, part of the pancreas and reached the ruptured aneurysm.
Dr. Ang said Welzchs' survival chances were between 2 to 5 percent.
Welzh is considered to be one of the first unofficial trauma patients treated at Ocala Regional.
Doctors said this is the first time something like this has happened at the medical center.
   

 
"Truly made everybody believe that we can be a trauma center bring somebody back from dying to living and having such a positive outcome," said Dr. Ang.

Welzh is pretty much back to normal. Driving and exercising like he use to.

"I am feeling like I can run a marathon," said Welzh.

Most importantly thankful that he got a third chance at life.