GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) How do you say "thank you" to someone for saving a newborn's life?  David Wied shocked a room-full of nurses today at Bellin Hospital with a surprise that left everyone in tears.

This is a story where every second counts.  A mother gives birth -- the baby has no heartbeat.

"Thump, thump - nothing," Wied tells the crowd.  "At this point, the nurse realizes there's a problem."

The clock ticks and the baby's body is limp - his skin becomes dark.  At this point in the story, Wied drops a bombshell: "That baby was me," he says.  "I was that baby in distress.  I was that baby who was dead.  That was me."

34 years ago, Wied was born with the umbilical cord tied around his neck, cutting off his oxygen for nearly four minutes.  Recently Wied went back and got a copy of his medical records because he wanted to thank the woman who saved his life all those years ago.

"[The hospital record] was signed Mary DePauw," Wied proclaims.  The crowd gasps but no one is more shocked than DePauw. 

"No clue that was about me," she says.  "It was a surprise when they said my name.  I thought my goodness!"

Wied  considers DePauw's actions a gift.  He calls it his second chance at life.  So, he gave her a clock.  It's the way Wied can show her he's grateful for every second she has given him.

"We need to treat every minute basically like it's out last," he tells us.  "We don't know if there will be a birth, death, diagnosis that will change everything."