Williamsville, NY (WBEN) - It was an emotional Wednesday night in Williamsville when longtime basketball referee Benjamin "Benjy" Bluman walked onto the court to greet the people who saved his life.
Bluman collapsed during a game on December 28 at Wiliamsville North. That night, when spectators realized there was an issue, those in the stands who had a medical background jumped into action, including Takesha Leonard.
"I'm a nurse practitioner trained to save people, let me see if I can at least help," said Leonard as she recalled what happened that night. "So I ran over and just kind of assessed the situation to try to see what was going on and saw that Benjy was pulse-less and not breathing."
Leonard is the parent of a Williamsville North player.
"It wasn't looking good, and then he opened his eyes," Leonard said. "It's a miracle. There's no other word for it."
In a pre-game ceremony on Wednesday night, Leonard and the others who sprung in to action were honored for their role in saving Bluman's life. Bluman, who had been resting at home since the incident, also attended to show his gratitude.
Bluman is forever grateful to those who saved his life.
"Usually in a basketball game there are three teams, the two teams that are playing, the referees are considered a team, and that night that this game was being played there were four teams," Bluman said. "The fourth team was the one that came out and did the most important thing. They did the things to bring me back to life."
