Dustin R. Watkins: The Miracles that Saved His Life
- Donald V. Watkins
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on July 27, 2025
Their romance started in high school and it never stopped. She was his sweetheart and eventually became his life partner. They have always been inseparable.
He is Dustin R. Watkins, my youngest son, and she is his Quan Nickson Watkins, his beautiful, strong, smart, caring, and loving wife.
Dustin and Quan got married, started a family, and had four wonderful children. Today, Dustin owns a thriving business in Atlanta and Quan has a successful professional career.
Their children are grown now. All of them were academic superstars from kindergarten through college graduation. Two of them live and work abroad.
Dustin and Quan are grandparents to 2-year-old Azayah, who begins the seventh generation of Watkins family members in America.
Tragedy Struck on July 16, 2025
On July 16, 2025, Dustin experienced a heart attack and cardiac arrest at his Atlanta home.
Quan saved his life by promptly administering CPR after witnessing Dustin collapse and take his last breath. Working with a 911 operator, Quan pumped Dustin’s heart and blew air into his lungs for 11 minutes while she waited on paramedics to arrive at their home.
Dustin was rushed to nearby Grady Hospital in Atlanta, which has a world-class trauma center and outstanding heart doctors. One of Dustin’s arteries was blocked and this triggered his heart attack and cardiac arrest.
Doctors unblocked Dustin's artery with a stent. Afterwards, he was intentionally sedated and paralyzed to promote optimal healing conditions for his brain.
After Dustin came off the ventilator and his sedation medicines had worn off, it was apparent to his doctors and family members that he had miraculously suffered no brain damage. He knew every family member and remembered the details of recent and distant family-related events without hesitation or struggling mentally.
By Tuesday, Dustin was up and walking, unassisted. By Wednesday, he had passed all his physical endurance and cognitive abilities testing. By Friday, Dustin was strolling around the hospital with ease.
On Saturday, Dustin was discharged from Grady after making a full recovery from his cardiac arrest.
God's Miracles and Blessings
Dustin's experience was surreal for the entire Watkins family. None of us expected Dustin's medical emergency or his quick cardiac arrest recovery.
Less than 8% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients survive their ordeal. Only 2% of those patients make a full recovery within the span of 10 days, or less.
Dustin is alive and well today because of string of miracles, beginning with Quan’s administration of CPR, followed by the excellent medical services rendered by Atlanta's highly-trained 911 emergency personnel and Grady Hospital's outstanding Emergency Room doctors, heart doctors, and Cardiac ICU Unit staff, and ending with the healing powers of God.
Because the Watkins family is deeply-rooted in the medical profession and spiritual faith, we know when the powers of modern medicine end and the healing powers of God begin. We also know that God brought Dustin all the way back from the brink of death by cardiac arrest. Additionally, we know that God is a Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and Light in the Darkness.
On behalf of the Watkins family, we thank the thousands of well-wishers who sent us messages of love, prayers, and support from around the world. We felt the power of your love, prayers, and support.
We also thank: (a) Quan Nickson Watkins for immediately administering life-saving CPR to Dustin, (b) the 911 emergency dispatcher who stayed on the line with Quan for 11 minutes and aided her in saving Dustin's life while they waited on paramedics to arrive, (c) the paramedics who took over the resuscitation of Dustin while rushing him to Grady Hospital, and (d) the impressive doctors and medical staff in Grady's Emergency Room and Cardiac ICU Unit for their part in God's miracles for Dustin.
Finally, we are eternally grateful to God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon the Watkins family for seven generations. There is no power higher than the power of God.
I love Dustin and Quan so much! They are so cool.
Just so you know, Quan Watkins comes from a line of strong, smart, loving, caring, and classy women. Quan is pictured below (second from the left) at a 2023 baby shower with her daughter Rian (who was pregnant with Azayah), her mother Laura Nickson, and her grandmother Beatrice Nickson. The Nickson bloodline is strong and proud!
Yesterday, Dustin relaxed in the swimming pool with his granddaughter Azayah. God is good!
In a world that worships phony politicians, big-name celebrities, and superstar athletes, God always reminds us that those who work tirelessly to save our lives are the ones whom society glosses over – the loving spouse/life partner, the highly-trained 911-operator, the EM personnel, the ER room doctors, and the ICU Unit doctors and staff. They are NEVER recognized enough, even though their work impacts the lives of all of us daily. They, along with God, have the power to save lives.