Krikorian thanks his life savers

Business Life publisher John Krikorian and his family honored Glendale firefighters and paramedics for saving his life after he suffered a heart attack at an October awards luncheon.

Krikorian and his family served up lunch on Monday to Glendale firefighters and paramedics from stations 21, 25 and 27 at the Glendale Fire Department headquarters on Oak Street, thanking them for saving his life following his Oct. 12 cardiac arrest.

Krikorian described the firefighters as his guardian angels.

“Now I have two birthdays — Aug. 24…and a new date Oct. 12,” he told Glendale fire personnel as he stood at a podium.

Krikorian collapsed that day while giving an acceptance speech for the “Service Above Self” award during the Fire Department’s awards luncheon at the Hilton Glendale.

Firefighters and paramedics immediately rushed in to perform CPR.

He was taken to Glendale Adventist, where doctors and nurses treated him in the cardiac catheterization lab, which specializes in heart conditions.

Krikorian remained hospitalized for three weeks, but he said he doesn’t have a memory of his collapse and the days after.

His surgeon, Thahn Nguyen, discovered Krikorian had a blockage in his heart, but he also an irregular heartbeat, the combination of which eventually led to his heart attack.

To prevent any future medical complications, Nguyen said a stint and defibrillator was placed inside Krikorian chest to help jump-start his heart if it should encounter any struggle.

Chief Harold Scoggins thanked Krikorian for supporting the Fire Department and acknowledging the work of firefighters and paramedics.

“This is a big deal because a lot of times in the community— the community hears a lot about what a firefighter does, but they don’t really get to see it on a daily basis,” he said. “That afternoon the community really got to see the outstanding work of the men and women of the Glendale Fire Department respond to and do each and every day and it was a blessing that things worked out the way they did.”