Ottawa man reunited with bystanders who saved his life after cardiac arrest in ByWard Market
October 21, 2025 - CTV News
When Marek Windonski met the people who saved his life in Ottawa’s ByWard Market, he had little to say.
“It’s not the words,” Windonski says, his voice breaking. “Thank you for saving my life. Saving my life for my kids. I have three kids, and they are happy that I’m still here.”
Weeks earlier, the father of three had been out for a stroll and shopping when he collapsed in the ByWard Market after feeling something strange in his leg.
“I felt like something was happening in my foot,” Windonski recalls. “And I remember the last thing I did was blackout.”
It was a late August afternoon when Windonski collapsed on William Street. What happened over just six minutes would save his life.
