Teen Whose Heart Stopped 3 Years Ago Reunited With Life-Saving Team

MISSION HILLS (CBSLA.com) — At just 17 years old, Matthew Scalice has cheated death.

On Tuesday, he saw the team who saved his life for the first time since the accident.

"When I wake up in the morning I put my hand over my heart and I recognize that, I recognize my heart beat and I let that motivate me throughout the day and I live every day like its my last, because at this point I don't know when my last day could be," said Matthew Scalice.

Three years ago, Matthew - a certified lifeguard and avid surfer - was having a swimming competition with his friend Josh when he had a severe asthma attack and went into cardiac arrest. Josh pulled him out of the pool and called for help.

Matthew spent 22 minutes in full cardiac arrest. Doctors say the only thing that kept him alive was CPR.

"Anybody who has survived 20-39 minutes of CPR is by definition in grave condition," said trauma surgeon Dr. David Hanpeter. "That's a horrible insult to the body to not have your heart beating for 20-30 minutes."

Matthew spent months in the hospital, where doctors gave him a hypothermic treatment to cool his body down to 90 degrees, hoping to save any brain function he had left.

He eventually made a remarkable recovery and has almost no residual effects from his time flat-lined.

"I'm actually here, I get to eat food, I get to relax I get to go on runs, I get to live, and not only that, but because of them changing my life I get to change the lives of others," he said.

Now he's pursuing a career in nursing, inspired by Michael, the ICU nurse who watched over him in his toughest hours in the hospital.

"I have a vision now, and that vision is, I want someone to look up at me as I once looked up at Michael and I do hope that I can achieve that one day," he said.

Matthew will graduate from Canyon High School later this week.