Jeremy Schmidt was given a gift on Sunday: four or five extra hours with his father, Wally Schmidt — a big-hearted man who loved to fish and work on cars and go to car shows and was “my rock, my last pillar.”

Wally, 65, collapsed on the field in Soldier Field on Sunday morning before the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears.

“I saw his eyes roll back,” Jeremy said, “and immediately, I’m yelling for help.”

Ben Roth, an off-duty paramedic from Texas, rushed to help, assessing the symptoms.

“That man gave me four or five more hours with my dad, which is invaluable,” Jeremy said. “That guy was amazing for what he did with no hesitation.”

As state troopers came to help and Bears personnel got an AED (automated external defibrillator) machine, CPR was started and Roth pushed the AED button, giving Wally a shock and bringing him back to life.

“His heart stopped on the field,” Jeremy said. “It took one zap to bring him back.”

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Wally, who is from Midlothian, Illinois, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“In the ambulance, he was responsive, and I could hear the paramedics talking with him,” said Jeremy, who sat up front.

Wally was answering questions in the emergency room.

“I would say his energy was a little drained, but he was still himself, and he was still very coherent, very responsive to what happened, knew where what was going on,” Jeremy said.

Wally even started cracking jokes.

“He was joking about the fact that he was rooting for the Lions over the Bears,” Jeremy said.

Yes, Wally was a Bears fan, who got so frustrated with the losing, so frustrated with this franchise, that he joined the Lions bandwagon.

“It’s hard to watch the Bears if you’re a Bears fan,” Jeremy said. “And I’m a Lions fan, so maybe I had some influence on that. I feel like a lot of Bears fans sympathize with Lions fans. If it’s not going to be them, they root for the Lions, because they all hate the Packers.”

Getting extra time

Jeremy called his stepmother, Beth Schmidt: “She was able to get to the hospital to spend those last hours with him in the room,” Jeremy said.

Jeremy said that his father seemed stable in the ER.

“Everything was okay for the time being,” Jeremy said. “He got his CAT scan, and when he came back from that, he was starting to feel weak, and he was nauseous throughout the whole thing.”

More tests were ordered.

“They were trying to figure out, is there some sort of blockage?” Jeremy said. “Do we need to do a stent? Or, you know, is this serious to the point where we’re going to have to do open heart surgery?”

While in the ER, Wally took a turn.

“He was starting to feel weaker and not feel great,” Jeremy said. “And that’s when things started to go south. You can see the monitor, and it starts beeping a little crazy and turns red — you know, it’s not okay. And then I could see it in his face, his eyes went back, and he kind of tilted his head.”

Doctors and nurses rushed into his room: “The amount of care he got was insane. I would say upwards of 30-plus people were in the emergency room, in his room, working to get him stable at that point, which they were able to do through a breathing tube. They probably zapped him another eight to 10 times down there in the emergency room.”

He was taken for another procedure, but he died during it.

“They notified us that he unfortunately did not make it through the procedure,” Jeremy said. “And they informed us that the left side of his heart had pretty much 100% blockage, which is the side they call a widow-maker. The right side was close to 100%, so no matter how much CPR or anything they did, they just were not able to save him.”

He paused.

“I went from watching the Bears on the field at 11 o’clock with my dad to him passing at 5:30 that day,” Jeremy said. “His heart was in that bad of shape, like it was an incident waiting to happen.”

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Two Lions fans linked together

On Monday, Jeremy was still in shock, still trying to process everything. He had to help set up a funeral and make arraingments.

But he did something else.

He called Roth to thank him for what he did on that field.

“I just wanted to express my gratitude,” he said.

Here were two Lions fans, who were brought together in the strangest of ways.

Neither had ever been on an NFL field before. Roth was invited by somebody in the stands who had two extra tickets, and Jeremy had a friend with some extra field passes.

And now, they were united in a dramatic, painful moment.

“I just wanted to comfort him,” Roth said.

And Roth can sense a higher power at work.

“We were supposed to meet,” Roth said. “It’s truly above me. It’s a spiritual thing. It’s a religious thing. It’s whatever deity you want to say, or whatever way you want to say, that things happen.”

Roth, who was incredibly disappointed and dejected, plans to stay in the Chicago area and go to the funeral.

“For closure,” he said.

You can view this story two ways.

You can view it as a tragic ending; certainly, it was, and I feel horrible for the family.

But you can also view it another way: It’s a miracle this family got those extra four or five hours.

The real lesson of this story

Jeremy remembers one last heartfelt moment with his father.

On the way to the game, Jeremy was just so dang happy his father went.

“When I invited him to the game, I didn’t think he was going to go,” Jeremy said. “He’s not big on cold-weather games.”

In the car, Jeremy shared something with his father.

“I told him, ‘I’m very happy you are here, because I don’t know when I’ll be able to do this with you again,’” Jeremy remembers saying, thinking about how he got the tickets. “He was ecstatic. He couldn’t have been happier to be going to that game that day.”

Jeremy paused.

“It’s the little things that you say,” he said, “and you don’t realize how they have that much meaning.”

That is the part that I can’t stop thinking about.

Both of my parents have died in the past few years, and I find myself thinking about them at strange times. When one of my kids has some big news, I think: I should call my parents to tell them. Then, it stuns me to realize they are gone.

I used to call my parents during long drives to watch my son play college football. And now, when I’m on a long drive, like I made to Chicago on Saturday, I had a strong, overwhelming desire to call my parents while driving.

Like I used to do.

And it’s a shock to realize, once again, they are gone.

I find myself thinking: I just wish I had a few more minutes.

Just a sliver of time to talk to them one last time.

That’s the big lesson here — the thing we can ask ourselves: What would you do if you were given a few extra minutes? Or a few more hours?

Would you make amends? Would you ask somebody for forgiveness? Is there something you haven’t said? Would you express your love? Would you cherish every moment?

That’s the lesson here: If there is something you would do, don’t wait.

As we finish out this holiday season, as we approach a new year, I’m gonna try to use this time more carefully.

My youngest son is in town for the holidays — I have to cherish this time with him.

I have a group of friends coming for New Year’s — we have been getting together on New Year’s Eve since college. But I don’t want to take this year for granted.

My granddaughter — who happens to be the cutest dang thing in the world — is simply growing up too fast, and I’m trying like crazy to be present every single second.

If I have one wish for this holiday season — one promise, one vow — it’s to slow down and appreciate more.

To use every stinking minute.

Because you never know when you have only a few hours.

Or even four or five extra ones.

MORE FROM JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers’ Chet Lemon can’t walk or talk, but family hopes Detroit trip could spark something

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

When the Detroit Pistons square off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the home team could miss the superstar forward, LeBron James.

According to the official NBA injury report, James is considering an “injury management” absence. Lately, James has been dealing with concerns regarding his foot. He recently missed two games, although his reason for absence was personal.

Prior to his first absence, James appeared in the Lakers’ first 23 games of the season. After a 43-minute shift in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks, James sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers. He stayed off the court for the following matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On December 15, LeBron returned to action to face the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 18 points in 34 minutes, helping the Lakers take down the Grizzlies.

Over the next two games, LeBron appeared on the court for 34 minutes in each matchup. At this point, the Lakers are on a three-game win streak since he’s been back in action. Clearly, the presence of the superstar forward makes a big difference for LA.

When the Pistons faced the Lakers earlier this year, LeBron James checked in for 40 minutes. He scored 20 points while coming down with eight rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.

Even with LeBron on the court, the Pistons handled business and picked up an impressive 12-point victory over the Lakers, who were on quite the roll to start the season.

At this stage in the year, the Lakers are 16-12, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. When playing at home, they have won nine out of 12 games. Monday marks the first and only time the Pistons will pay the Lakers a visit this year.

LeBron James is likely a game-time decision for the matchup, which tips at 10:30 PM ET.

Royal Oak — Twinkling, flashing, gleaming and dancing — the Detroit Zoo’s annual Wild Lights attraction features a dizzying array of lighting displays of all sorts, but it’s a huge undertaking.

The zoo’s staff brings the magic to life with luminous, larger-than-life animals, an interactive talking tree and everything in between.

It’s a bit like decorating one’s own home for Christmas, said Detroit Zoo Senior Director of Guest Experience Emily O’Hara — just on a massive scale, as the zoo provided behind-the-scene access this week to their winter wonderland.

“We started counting all the lights at one point,” O’Hara said, “but you get over a million, then over 2 million and where does it stop? So, we just say millions of lights.”

This year’s display includes 676 trees wrapped with lights; more than 500 lighted “sculptures” of plants, animals and other objects; and holiday-specific items such as heating stations and a warming lodge. They all had to be set up by Wild Lights’ opening night, which this year was Nov. 23.

While the team must work swiftly, they must also work carefully. If there are too many lights on one side of a tree, for instance, they will be instructed to remove them and start over.

“There is a meticulous nature to it,” O’Hara said. “It isn’t just throwing lights and hoping they stick. We want everything to be the best product we can put out there for the guests.”

The months of hard work were evident to Phil and Carolyn Durst of West Branch, who were in Metro Detroit visiting family on Friday when they decided to check out the lights.

“We had no idea what to expect, but this is really amazing,” Phil said. “They did a great job.”

“They thought of everything, every animal you could think of,” Carolyn added.

Wild Lights continues at the zoo through Jan. 5. After that, the staff will begin tearing down the displays — carefully, so as not to tangle the thousands of strands.

Virtually all of the lights and holiday items are removed once the season is over, although some, like the large globe that can display video images, are often repositioned and repurposed for other zoo events throughout the year.

Where do the rest go during the offseason? Many are housed in the sizable storage area near the middle of the zoo, which includes eight shipping containers and a large shed. O’Hara said another 12 off-site shipping containers are used. And more lights yet get stuffed into any closets that might be available elsewhere at the zoo.

O’Hara said the staff works year-round to ensure visitors get a new experience each year. With Wild Lights entertaining families for more than a decade now, that means planning begins in January.

The staff works throughout the year to repair and repurpose aging items while the administration orders new pieces. The trend over the past few years has been on “interactive items” like a colorful see-saw and swings that kids can play on, or the talking Christmas tree that implores passersby to make a holiday wish.

Installation usually begins in late July and actually continues right up until Wild Lights opens for the season around Thanksgiving.

Once the lights are strung and the attractions in place, the work isn’t over yet. Rain and snow will occasionally cause a strand of lights to burn out. But more common are issues caused by native wildlife, zoo officials said.

“Anyone who has tried to string up lights at their own home may have encountered how squirrels find them a delicacy,” O’Hara said with a chuckle.

When items need to be tested or programmed, they’re taken to the backstage area of the Ford Education Center’s 4D theater, not only because that’s one of the largest indoor spaces at the zoo, but with the lights off, it’s dark enough to mimic the night sky outside.

“The advantage back here is we actually have a truss we can raise and lower, so it makes it much easier to reach our stuff and work on it,” said Lauri Besler-Kroll, a member of the zoo’s utility department.

During the behind-the-scenes tour for The Detroit News, team members were testing the light curtain that will be used for the special “Zoo Year’s Eve” countdown. At 8 p.m. on Dec. 31, the curtain will display an animal-themed New Year’s countdown, giving little ones who may not make it to midnight a chance to ring in 2025.

Wild Lights has become a family tradition for the family of Mike Newton of South Lyon. The dancing sticks stood out to daughter Kaylin, 5, while the rainbow-color trees were a favorite for Abigail, 3.

“They’ve been coming since they were under 1,” said Mike. “Always a good time.”

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

Wild Lights

What: Wild Lights Presented by Corewell Health Children’s is the Detroit Zoo’s seasonal attraction filled with animal-themed light sculptures and other holiday fun.

When: Remaining dates are Dec. 21-23 and Dec. 26-31, as well as Jan. 2-5. The event opens at 5 p.m. each evening. Tickets are available for entry every half-hour. Sales stop an hour before Wild Lights closes each night. The event closes at 10:30 p.m. through Dec. 28 (except Dec. 26) and at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 29 through Jan. 5.

Cost: Online general admission ticket prices vary by date and time slot, and range from $17-$25 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the gate (unless the zoo reaches capacity for a given time slot) for $26. Groups of 20 or more can buy tickets for $15-$23 per person. Packages are also available for daytime admission to the zoo, plus Wild Lights in the evening ($38); the “Picnic Package,” which includes an unlimited food buffet ($50 online, $55 at the gate); and the “Ultimate VIP Package,” which includes food and drink, plus a carousel ride and ticket to a screening at the 4D theater ($70 online, $75 at the gate).

Online tickets: dzoo.org/wildlights

Where: Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. 10 Mile, Royal Oak