ALLEN, TX – A Allen A 19-year-old who suffered a heart attack while training to become a firefighter earlier this year is working to make his dream a reality.

Jakob Perez has been working hard since he almost died seven months ago.

“Every aspect of my life has been changed for me,” Perez said.

On May 9, Citizen’s Fire Academy held its awards ceremony, and part of the program included a demonstration of the physical fitness test that firefighters must complete.

Perez climbed to the fourth level of the tower and suffered a cardiac arrest as he began lifting a fire hose.

He says his heart stopped beating for 26 minutes, but his pulse returned just before he arrived at the hospital.

“I was so confused, I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know what was happening,” Perez said.

Perez had an aortic aneurysm that caused him to go into sudden cardiac arrest.

He now has a valve from a pig’s heart and has spent the last four months in rehabilitation to regain his strength.

“What I was doing before, I mean, I was doing a lot of running, sprint drills, doing a whole bunch of things, walking was getting so tiring,” Perez said.

Over time, walking became easier and soon he was running miles.

“I remember when I ran my first mile in rehab, it was… surreal. Because I’ve never been able to run a mile in my entire life,” Perez recalled.

As his body grew stronger, so did his desire to pursue his dream.

“I don’t want to do anything other than be a firefighter,” Perez said.

This experience gave him a new perspective on what it really means to be a firefighter.

“I couldn’t be more grateful, but it makes me want to come back, and I want to do it now,” Perez said.

His family is proud that this did not deter him from following his heart.

“We’re all here for a purpose, and he knows what his purpose is, and he follows his heart no matter what,” said his sister, Gabby Perez.

Jakob hopes his story will inspire others to do the same.

“I want to tell you that whatever you feel, whatever you dream of, whatever pushes you to keep going, do it,” he said. “Do your best and everything will be fine, believe me, you will succeed. I am living proof.”

Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd and other firefighters visited Perez at the hospital.

Perez will have a meeting with members of the department to discuss next steps to get him back on track to becoming a firefighter.