WAUKESHA, Wis. — It was ear-to-ear smiles for a reunion some thought would never happen.
"It feels pretty cool. It feels almost like little angels next to me," Brandon Schider said.
Schider is the owner of Birdie Boyz Indoor Golf in Waukesha.
Two weeks ago, Martez Ball, Yianni Glavas and Ira Meiling, who have been friends for nearly 20 years, came into his business for some Sunday relaxation.
"[I] asked if they wanted something to drink. I remember their drink order of like a Brandy Old Fashioned and a bucket of beers, and that's the last thing I remember," Schider said.
Unlike Schider, Ball's memory of that day is crystal clear.
Watch: Off-duty MPD officer and friend save local business owner's life
"I remember stepping up into the simulator and readying myself to take a swing, when I hear Yianni and Ira talking to Brandon. They kinda say 'buddy are you okay? Are you joking?' And I look back and see Brandon on the ground," Ball recalls.
"As I'm calling 911, I notice Brandon kinda turning blue and stop breathing. I immediately put him onto his back and started CPR on him while I'm trying to get through to 911," Ball explained.
For several minutes, Ball, who's a veteran Milwaukee Police sergeant, and Glavas, who's a pharmacist with medical training, gave Schider rescue breaths and chest compressions until paramedics arrived.
"They're able to hook him up to an AED and give him at least one or two shocks from that, and I hear Brandon start talking which was crazy after seeing him there lifeless for so long," Ball said.
Schider spent the next four days at Waukesha Memorial and had a defibrillator put into his chest to regulate his heart beat.
It was there he found out two strangers saved his life.
"Yianni left a message that really was, really heartfelt," Schider said.
"I was the one that gave you CPR with my friend. I hope everything's okay. I just wanted to call and see how your status was," Glavas said in his voicemail.
Ball also texted Schider to check in.
"That meant a lot. As someone who has two—I have two boys who are three and one, so to think that, you know, I died that night, and if it wasn't for someone like these guys like Yianni and Martez that I wouldn't be here anymore," Schider said.
For Ball, it was second nature for him to hop in.
"There's an expectation, obviously within ourselves, from the department and the citizens we serve to act in those moments and to not shy away. It just becomes nature," Ball explained.
A life-saving measure turned into life-lasting memories.
"The four of us will definitely end up in a golf cart somewhere," Ball said to Schider.
"Yeah, definitely. Yes, doing that and enjoying some time together," Schider responded.
"We're just happy Brandon's family gets to spend some more time with him," Ball said.
"Yeah, appreciative of that too," Schider added.
You can support Schider in an online fundraiser here.
TMJ4 first learned about this story after a neighbor of Ball's reached out to us.
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