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Andover Man Donates $375,000 To Hospitals, Fire Department After Heart Attack

ANDOVER (CBS) - An Andover man is saying "thank you" in a wonderful way to the people who saved his life. And he's paying it forward with a gift that should help a lot of other people.

It all began last September when Roger Desmarais was in his Andover yard and just didn't feel right.

"All of a sudden I felt ill," Desmarais says. "I put a blood pressure cuff on and it was down to 40, my blood pressure, so I called 911."

Roger was having a heart attack. He was rushed to Lawrence General Hospital by ambulance.

"They put the paddles on me and brought me back to life," he says.

Now, fully recovered, Roger is donating $125,000 to the Andover Fire Department, Lahey Hospital where he was also treated and Lawrence General Hospital, a total of $375,000 because he has something priceless, his life

"It just put a feeling in me that all these people just cared about what happened to me and I just felt like I needed to do something," Desmarais said.

Andover Fire EMT Brian Flanagan responded to the emergency call and is floored by the donation.

"It's sort of surreal you don't expect in today's day and age for people to be as generous as that," Flanagan says. "It was something that was unexpected and I don't think I'll ever see anything like it in my career again."

Now Roger has a plaque from Andover Fire rescue and a second chance at life.

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