Delta passenger salutes flight crew, Tim Tebow after medical emergency

File photo

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

File photo

A Delta Air Lines customer is praising the flight crew and NFL star Tim Tebow following a recent in-flight medical emergency. Richard V. Gotti's post on Delta's official, public Facebook page has been shared more than 10,000 times.

MORE:  Tim Tebow adds star power to Fox's "Home Free," set in Paulding County

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Credit: Jennifer Brett

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Credit: Jennifer Brett

Gotti's post, which has been "liked" on Facebook more than 25,000 times, says he was traveling from Atlanta to Phoenix when another passenger started experiencing medical distress.

"I watched strangers from all over the world and every ethnicity come to the help of this man for over an hour! Whether it was chest compressions, starting an IV, helping breathe life into this man, or praying everyone helped! I listened to shock after shock from the AED machine and still no pulse. No one gave up. I observed people praying and lifting this man up to the Lord in a way that I've never seen before. The crew of Delta Air Lines were amazing. They acted in a fast and professional manner!"

The story gets even more memorable:

"Then all of a sudden, I observed a guy walking down the aisle. That guy was Tim Tebow. He met with the family as they cried on his shoulder! I watched Tim pray with the entire section of the plane for this man. He made a stand for God in a difficult situation. The plane landed in Phoenix and that was the first time they got a pulse back! Please share this with your friends! Pray for this man and his family, and also thank God that we still have people of faith who in times of difficulty look to the Lord!"

Naturally, the airline doesn't release information about who's on board, though. Tebow hasn't posted anything about the matter. Although

The Los Angeles Times reports the passenger later died at the hospital and reported that while Tebow has not spoken publicly about the matter, "a spokesman for the Tim Tebow Foundation has confirmed the incident."

My colleague Rodney Ho recently caught up with Tebow on the set of Fox's feel-good reality show "Home Free." The competition show, set this season in a new development in Paulding County, added the popular Heisman Trophy winner as a co-host with Mike Holmes, a tough-talking construction expert from Canada. The show returns Thursdays at 9 p.m. after "Bones."

Tebow is no construction expert; his job was to keep the 11 contestants motivated as they built homes.

Tim Tebow and Mike Holmes on one of the big challenge courses the creators set up. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/ rho@ajc.com

Credit: Jennifer Brett

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Credit: Jennifer Brett

The show's concept: 11 people willing to live in sparse quarters construct 10 homes side by side from scratch for “heroes” they know and respect rather than for themselves. Going in, the contestants didn’t realize every hero would get a dream home, rather than just one.

"We’re being able to serve heroes, heroes that gave up their time, their energy, their money, their resources, even body parts,” Tebow said during the May interview. “And we’re able to give these heroes a home. Then there are 11 competitors competing for their heroes. That’s awesome. I can encourage them and push them beyond what they can accomplish for their heroes. That was a pretty cool match.”

The heroes include war veterans, a woman who gave her kidney to someone she didn’t even know and a single mom raising two kids while battling cancer.

Tebow said his favorite moments were when the contestants presented the homes to their heroes. He admitted to shed a tear or two and added: “It’s amazing to be able to be part of changing someone’s life."