A heart attack survivor got a chance Saturday to thank the good Samaritans who helped save his life.

On Aug. 31, Dennis Dillon was boating in Port Jefferson Harbor with his wife when he went into cardiac arrest. His wife immediately began CPR, and within minutes, nearby boaters came to the rescue.

"When he talks about it, he gets emotional thinking that he was going to leave our three children, myself,” says his wife, Tricia Dillon. “It wasn't something that you plan for…but he's here and we're grateful.”

Dillon was transported to Stony Brook University Heart Institute where he was successfully treated for an 100% blockage in his left anterior descending coronary artery.

He was able to leave the hospital 11 days later.