Twenty-five years after spending months working at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, retired NYPD officer Joe Gomes found himself needing the same kind of lifesaving help he once gave others.
On September 11, 2026, the 64-year-old Royal Palm Beach resident was playing in an annual first responder hockey tournament at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs when he suddenly suffered cardiac arrest. His fellow players, firefighters and paramedics from several agencies reacted instantly, starting CPR within about a minute and even using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to restore his heart rhythm…