72-year-old Who Had 4 Strokes On Cruise Ship Speaks Out After Rescue

"I was ready to go to lunch, and I never made it. I collapsed."

A Wisconsin man who was rescued from a cruise ship following a medical emergency is speaking out for the first time.

Greg Tomensky, 72, told ABC News that he and his wife Mary Tomensky were on a trip of a lifetime, a 35-day Holland America cruise from San Diego that sailed to Hawaii and French Polynesia.

Ten days into the cruise, Tomensky said the trip turned into a nightmare.

"I was ready to go to lunch, and I never made it. I collapsed," Tomensky recalled.

Tomensky said he experienced four strokes within hours of each other on Feb. 26, hundreds of miles off the coast of Hawaii.

"There was no question that he had to be medevaced," his wife recounted.

The medical staff on the Holland America ship ultimately called in the Coast Guard to airlift Tomensky off the boat.

"We knew definitely that what this man needed was to be in a stroke unit or a stroke center," Dr. Realeboga Sebitso, a senior doctor for Holland America Line, said.

In under 24 hours, on Feb. 27, Tomensky was hoisted into a small basket and transported to a hospital in Honolulu, where he said he received lifesaving care.

"I am very grateful that they got there and what they did," Tomensky said.

A month after his harrowing rescue, Tomensky had the opportunity to meet the Coast Guard pilots who helped save his life, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Brown and Lt. Tom Jordan, in an emotional reunion.

"Thank you very much. I owe you for my recovery and future recovery from these strokes," Tomensky told Brown and Jordan in a video conversation.

"Well, it's our pleasure. If you have any complaints about the hoisting or the flying, though, he was the one doing it all," Brown replied with a laugh, pointing to Jordan.

Added Jordan, "It's a very rare opportunity that we get to meet the people we help."