For Dana Farnes, heroes don’t wear capes.

“They wear badges, they drive ambulances and they fly airplanes,” he said, adding, “they empty bed pans.” 

On July 3, 2025, Farnes, 56, was nearly killed at a Coeur d’Alene group home for adults with special needs. Working there twice a week, Farnes had tried to intervene in a knife fight when one resident ended up stabbing him in his torso and arm – an ordeal he survived. He suffered wounds to his stomach, liver and kidney, among other organs, while his forearm is now furnished with a giant scar. 

At Kootenai Health on Wednesday morning, Farnes publicly gave thanks to all those who helped save his life: The quick responses from Coeur d’Alene police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders, the pilots who life-flighted him to Seattle, the medical practitioners at Kootenai Health and Harborview Medical Center who pumped over 100 units of blood back into his circulatory system, and so many more people.

“You guys are the true heroes here,” Farnes said.

Morgan Zajicek of Coeur d’Alene Fire was on scene during Farnes’ incident. She said Coeur d’Alene police officers immediately applied dressing and tourniquets to his body while performing critical triage efforts.

“We basically loaded him and headed our way to the hospital," Zajicek said.

Lauren Apgar, a Kootenai Health emergency medicine physician who also treated Farnes the day he was stabbed, told The Press that the amount of external blood Farnes required to live was “the most I’ve ever seen in one person in my career.”

“When he came in, he was very difficult to stabilize. He was just so, so sick,” she said of Farnes, who later gave her a big hug after addressing Wednesday’s audience. “His blood pressure was very low, and as we know now, he was losing a lot of blood. We needed to get him to the operating room to get him surgery.”

Angela, Farnes’ wife, said her husband suffered multiple embolisms and sepsis due to the stabbing and wasn’t given a good prognosis – bad news in which she had to give Farnes’ immediate family. This is why she wanted to honor everyone who aided in her husband’s preservation.

“Your dedication to your work, your craft, your service is immeasurable,” she said of all the professionals who helped. “When you saved one man, you didn’t know the community of people that you blessed.”

John Solomon, Farnes’ pastor at LifeSource Community Church in Coeur d’Alene, highlighted Farnes’ philanthropic endeavors. In addition to having worked with at-risk adults, Solomon said Farnes has for years spent time feeding the needy at the local soup kitchen.

“When you’re in the trenches, I hope you remember Dana and Angela and his family when it’s really tough,” he said. 

He also thanked the first responders and medical professionals. 

“We are so glad that you have made a difference, not only in this family’s life, but in so many different families’ lives in this community, many of which you won’t hear a thank you.”

Amid the seriousness, however, Farnes did not shy away from comedic relief on Wednesday. The Walla Walla, Wash., native, completely losing a spleen and developing a painful hernia because of the stabbing, referred to him receiving an enormous amount of blood as an “oil change.” 

He also said the kitchen knife that thrust into his body that fateful day chopped his pancreas “into fish bait,” that the “rumors of my death were at least moderately exaggerated."

Right now, Farnes is back operating his IT network company and spending time with Angela on their farm just outside Plummer.

When asked about how her former patient is doing now, Apgar said “I’m completely shocked.”

“I personally never experienced something like this before,” she said. “To come back to shake his hand? This has been really, incredibly rewarding for me to get that closure and see how he’s doing. This is probably the most meaningful thing that has happened in my career.”

    Dana Farnes speaks to a room full of friends, family, first responders and medical professionals at Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene.
  

    From left, Angela Farnes, Dana Farnes and Kootenai Health Certified Surgical Technologists Jennifer Guy and Jennifer Mikaloff converse.