Beverly Hills man concerned about voting upon regaining pulse

By Taryn Asher
Fox 2 News Reporter

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -- Married 25 years, voting in the election is a tradition for Billy and Rosieta Brandy of Beverly Hills, but this year they were in for their own close call.

On Monday, they were casting their ballots early at the Southfield Township hall when all of a sudden Billy collapsed.

"His hands (were) cold and they were turning green, and I tried to arouse him, calling him, 'Billy, Billy,' and he wouldn't move," said his wife.

Her beloved Billy wasn't breathing and his heart stopped.  Rosieta was frantic.  She says her husband was dead.

"I just said, 'God, please, not now.  Like I'm not ready now,' and it seemed like as soon as I said that, this man that was next to him took him and put him on the floor and started doing the CPR.  It was like angel... heard me."

A man who happens to be a registered nurse was standing right beside them.  Ty Houston immediately started CPR.

"After about three to four minutes, he started breathing.  He regained a pulse and he basically woke up and asked whether or not he had finished voting."

By that time, emergency crews arrived and Houston remembered the unexpected conversation the couple had as Billy questioned whether he was able to vote for his candidate -- President Barack Obama.

"He let her know that basically it was a concern to him.  Number one that she knew that he loved her... and two, that he finished what he came there to do, which was to vote."

The answer was yes.  Rosieta turned in their ballots right before Billy lost consciousness.

Billy was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak where he underwent several tests, but they didn't reveal what caused his heart to stop.  Meanwhile, the couple wanted to thank the man who helped it to start beating again.

Houston says something drew him to that township hall.  He never intended to vote early that day.

"He said I was a hero, but really I'm not.  That was all God's intervention."

You could call Billy a die-hard voter.  He survived throat cancer and now this.  He says nothing will stop him from exercising his civic duty.

"I'm a voter every year as long as I live," he told us.

Billy, who was just released Wednesday from the hospital, says he was too nervous to watch the election returns.  He didn't find out until his daughter told him, and when he found out President Barack Obama was re-elected, he was overjoyed.