It was a nice fall evening when Ed Chambers and his wife, Eilene, decided to sit on their back porch of their Seymour home and enjoy the weather.

The couple had grilled dinner and had a glass of wine.

That’s the last thing Chambers remembers before he woke nearly two days later in an Indianapolis hospital.

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Chambers, 68, doesn’t remember he went to bed, woke up and went to Snap Fitness as part of his exercise routine.

He used the treadmill for some time before stepping off and using a weightlifting machine.

Chambers then collapsed.

There were only two other people in the gym at the time. One man was in the restroom, and the other was in the weightlifting area, about 30 feet from Chambers.

As it turned out, Chambers knew the man in the weight area.

It was Aaron Wilkins. The two knew each other because the businesses they worked at are located next to each other.

Chambers retired from Spector Energy in 2012, and Wilkins, 35, works as a plant operator at Enterprise Products.

Wilkins, who lives in Medora, said he remembers Chambers walking into the gym and the two greeted each other like they had each time they crossed paths at the gym. Wilkins thought Chambers had tripped while trying to get off of the machine and was heading over to the area to help him up.

He called Chambers’ name, but he didn’t move.

Wilkins said he could see Chambers had busted his head, and his face was dark purple.

Wilkins immediately called 911 for help.

He was disconnected from 911 operators twice before they called back.

That’s when the other man came from the restroom, and Wilkins yelled for him to get the defibrillator from the wall.

Wilkins guided the man through the process of finding what he needed. He first needed a razor to shave Chambers’ chest to apply the shock pads.

The man was able to locate it and hand it to Wilkins.

Among the chaos of the situation, Wilkins somehow heard the ambulance get dispatched to the wrong gym. He corrected them and continued to use first aid to treat Chambers.

“I was doing all that while trying to get a pulse and push on his chest,” Wilkins said. “There was a lot going on.”

But throughout all of the difficulty, Wilkins said he was able to focus on the task at hand. His top priority was to do everything he could to make sure Chambers would survive.

“I was just asking God to let him make it and was thinking about his family and let’s make this happen,” he said.

As the shock was applied, the device told them to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Wilkins said.

That’s when first responders arrived and took over.

Paramedics painted a grim picture for Wilkins as soon as they arrived.

The first paramedic said Chambers had “coded,” which meant he had been lost, Wilkins said.

“It was a pretty empty feeling,” he said. “This whole time, I had been praying to God not to put this on his family, let’s make this happen.”

So hearing an experienced paramedic say Chambers had been lost did not give Wilkins much hope.

“The bottom falls out of you at that point,” he said.

There was one woman who was a first responder with Jackson County Emergency Medical Services who gave Chambers treatment. She rushed to give treatment and did a lot, Wilkins said.

“She was good, and she was on her game,” he said.

Wilkins hung around in case they needed something before he changed clothes. When he came out from changing, Chambers was being loaded into the ambulance. He was breathing and had a pulse.

Wilkins remembers receiving a text message later that night that Chambers was at an Indianapolis hospital and was still alive.

“He wasn’t out of the woods, but I knew he was still with us,” he said.

Soon, it was the next morning, and news was Chambers had lived.

He had had a massive heart attack and needed surgery to put two stents in to help with blockage. He also had to complete weeks of therapy and rehabilitation.

The entire event came without warning. Chambers said he had no symptoms that would have suggested what he was about to endure.

“There was nothing,” he said.

Wilkins was able to provide the lifesaving first aid because of the training he receives each year from Enterprise Products. The company emphasizes it and conducts a comprehensive training annually.

As much training as Wilkins has received throughout the years, it didn’t prepare him for the pressure of the situation or the challenges he faced while providing care.

“It’s different when you have to do it and you’re standing there,” he said.

Wilkins said he didn’t visit Chambers in Indianapolis because he didn’t want to disturb Chambers and his family.

He still had reservations when he thought of visiting Chambers at Lutheran Community Home.

“I just wanted him to get healed up and wanted the family to have time,” he said.

But that’s when he received a text message from Eilene.

The message thanking Wilkins for what he had done and apologizing for sending it through a message.

“I did finally text him,” she said. “It took me a couple days to even be able to text him.”

Wilkins went to visit Chambers at Lutheran Community Home when he made it back to Seymour.

“It was emotional,” Chambers said.

The message said she would probably hug Wilkins each time she saw him — a promise she kept when Wilkins was presented with two awards this past week.

The American Heart Association gave him the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Heartsaver Award. The American Red Cross presented him with the Extraordinary Personal Action award during a lunch last week.

“He doesn’t want recognition,” Chambers said.

Recognition or not, Wilkins said he appreciated the awards.

“It means a lot to me, but I hate that it’s at the expense of Ed’s unfortunate situation,” he said.

But the awards themselves are only plaques to Wilkins.

“The real award was knowing Ed made it,” he said. “And the message I received from Eilene.”

For Chambers, he feels he has been dealt a second chance.

“I’m much more appreciative,” he said. “Life is a little slower right now.”