Boy whose heart stopped during baseball game meets the paramedic who saved him

It was an emotional reunion for the off-duty paramedic who helped save an 8-year-old baseball player’s life after the boy was hit in the chest by a baseball at a tournament.

Just two days later, Kekoa Ramirez threw the ceremonial first pitch. His teammates and opponents all welcomed him back with high fives. Lago Spencer, the Dallas firefighter paramedic who helped him was there as well.

“I tell my wife, it was the worst and best day of my life because of people like Spencer and Tommy, and God Almighty,” said Kekoa’s father, Aurelio Ramirez.

Kekoa doesn’t remember being airlifted to the hospital, or the moment a baseball hit him so hard at a rare moment that it stopped his heart.

 “Ball hit him the chest, bounced off his chest, he caught it. We were all happy he caught it, cheered for him, he threw it into second base.  And then a second later he collapsed forward,” said assistant coach Rey Zavala.

Most thought Kekoa was experiencing something heart-related. Spencer, who was attending a different game at the World Series Tournament saw the commotion and went to see what was going on.

“Everyone was out there pouring water at him, but the experience I have at looking at people's eyes when they are sick like that, know that impending doom, that's when I said let's go,” he said.

Kekoa lost consciousness and his pulse. They carried him out to meet a Cedar Hill paramedic who was able to use a defibrillator and get his pulse back.

“I still get really emotional when I think about it. If these men were not as professional and did what they did, my grandson wouldn't be around,” said Kekoa’s grandfather, Jose Lopez.

Kekoa tells FOX 4 he loves baseball and is not going to let this keep him from playing in the future.