ARVIN -- Sylvia Gilkey has a new lease on life, and is grateful to those who helped save her from a heart attack.

At a news conference Tuesday, Gilkey publicly thanked Hall Ambulance, Emergency Medical Services, and Kern Medical Center for their care.

"I feel like God used them as tools," Gilkey said. "I'm so thankful they were there."

Gilkey was not feeling well around Christmas last year, suffering from a cold and almost choking on a piece of ham from her daughter's Christmas dinner. On December 26, she collapsed, prompting her daughter to call 911 and provide CPR.

When Hall Ambulance paramedics arrived, Gilkey was unresponsive and clinically dead, she said, and the paramedics rushed her to KMC for treatment. She spent more than a week in the hospital recovering, and is still on the mend.

Jennifer Surface, the paramedic who helped Gilkey that day, was happy to see her recovery.

"Normally we don't get to see how the patient ends up," she said. "I'm so happy she's getting better."