Man finds Ottawa paramedic who helped save his life in the 1990s

Man finds paramedic who saved his life Emotional meeting for Dave Murphy who nearly died 13 years ago when he was stabbed outside a mall. CTV’s Jackie Perez reports.

Dave Murphy’s search is finally over.

"My jaw just kind of hit the floor,” said Murphy, who spent the last decade trying to track down the Ottawa paramedic who saved his life.

"She sent me a couple photos from back in the day and yeah…"

The 46-year-old was stabbed 13 times outside of Bayshore Shopping Centre in the 90s. Joanne Overton McGregor served as a paramedic in Ottawa during that time.

In January, after seeing the story on CTV News Ottawa, McGregor decided to reach out, not knowing for sure if she was the one.

“When I shared my picture and his reaction was, 'Oh my God'…. That very first reaction for me, my heart stopped,” recalled McGregor. "Because he was so sure."

The two have been in touch nearly every day since their initial Zoom meeting. Sharing stories about their family and what they’ve been up to since that incident.

"Getting to meet him and Chloe and Kim, it’s just so nice to see a family thriving," she said. "That gives me peace, that makes me happy."

Murphy says he’s hoping to come to Ottawa with his family to meet McGregor in person, who lives just outside of the capital.

For now, online will have to do.

"We have a bond," said Murphy. "We look forward to continuing our friendship.”

"I feel like I know them already," added McGregor. "I feel like this is going to be a lifelong friendship."