First Aid Corps

James Fuller, 27, said he can’t remember anything of that morning but it was a typical Monday – he arrived at work at the South Colonnade offices, checked his emails and then went to a meeting.

James Fuller the Survivor

Moments later he collapsed in his chair.

“A couple of colleagues helped me,” he said. “One was trained in CPR a number of years ago and she sprang into action. Another knew first aid and had the emergency services on the phone giving advice.”

Within minutes, a motorcycle paramedic, fast response car paramedic, a cycle paramedic and an ambulance crew arrived.

They gave James two shocks with a defibrillator and his heartbeat returned.

He was taken to hospital and discharged a few weeks later after doctors had fitted him with a cardioverter defibrillator.

James, now 28, has since made a full recovery and moved to a new job in London Bridge, but he has made a point of keeping in touch with the colleagues he owes his life to.

He said: “I’ve seen both of them a couple of times since and it’s a fantastic thing that they were able to help me. I’ve heard there’s been an uptake of people taking on CPR training in that firm and there’s also been some defibrillators put in the building.”

Speaking about the reunion with the paramedics, James said: “Not being able to remember what happened that day, it was fantastic to meet up with all the ambulance staff that were involved in person – I can’t speak highly enough of them.

“They do an amazing job and they are all absolute heroes in my book.

“I left hospital less than a month later and returned to my life without any real lasting consequences. I can only attribute that to my colleagues being able to provide CPR and to the ambulance staff for everything they did.”

GEELONG Football Club doctor Geoff Allen has told of surviving his mid-field heart attack at AAMI Stadium of Friday night, revealing he ignored telltale chest pain in the weeks before his potentially fatal seizure.

The super-fit medic, speaking from his ward in Adelaide’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday, said he’d been “stupid” not to seek treatment after experiencing dull chest pain during the past few weeks which had started radiating into his left arm.

“If people get chest pain, make sure they go and see their doctor, not like the dumb doctor who doesn’t go and see anyone,” Dr Allen, 48, told the Geelong Advertiser.

Dr Allen had run 6km on Friday a few hours before he suffered the heart attack as he oversaw the Cats warm up on AAMI Stadium for the match against the Crows.

“I’d had a little bit of pain but I just thought it was kind of like a muscle I’d pulled in my chest and that it wasn’t heart, which is great for a doctor not to pick up, and on the night I had no pain,” Dr Allen said.

“If I’d been home I really would have got it checked out but then thought I’ll go and get this sorted out on Monday.

“It was just dumb, in retrospect, very stupid and I’m very lucky.”

Dr Allen remained in cardiac care yesterday, active and eating but still connected to two drips and a heart monitor.

His wife Claudia and children Emma, 15, Georgie, 12, and Sam, 10, caught a midnight light plane flight on Friday night to be by his side.

Cardiologists diagnosed blockage of one congenitally narrow artery, inserted a stent to keep it clear and predicted a full recovery.

Dr Allen owes his life to the immediate cardiac resuscitation response of officials including fellow club doctor Chris Bradshaw and paramedics, and to the proximity of a heart defibrillator.

“With that rhythm I was in, without a defibrillator, it rarely reverts without electricity,” Dr Allen said.

“If I’d done it even in the mall or somewhere where there’s no defibrillator, by the time an ambulance gets to you it’s probably going to be too late or by the time it gets to you, your brain’s going to be dead.

“I was zapped within two minutes, which is hopefully why my brain is OK.”

Dr Bradshaw, who had run the six kilometres with Dr Allen during Friday afternoon, said his friend was in a desperate state.

“He didn’t have a pulse, he wasn’t breathing and he was blue,” Dr Bradshaw said.

“Basically he had a full cardiac arrest, he wasn’t in a great way, it was a bit scary.

“All of the players were still around him, it was crazy.”

Dr Bradshaw said he was grateful for having completed a refresher emergency resuscitation response course organised by the Cats about six weeks ago.

But during a May 25th meeting of a firefighters advisory group at the Brighton Fire Station, Felix Conigilo, a 30 year veteran and past chief with the Kenmore Volunteer Fire Department, suffered a heart attack right in front of his friends and colleagues including Assistant Kenmore Chief Todd Bieron.

As Felix blacked out and started slumping, Todd and others helped him to the floor.

Some started CPR with chest compressions while others called 911 and ran to grab the Automatic Emergency Defibrillator which is stored at the station.

Chief Bieron says he had to collect himself as he looked at his friend but he attached the device and delivered a life saving shock to re-start Felix’s heart.

Felix was revived as he felt other firefighters performing CPR.

Felix Conigilo says doctors at ECMC told him that all the firefighters and paramedics saved his life with the help of the AED.

Ironically Coniglio was the Kenmore chief when they got their first AED and thought it was just an overpriced piece of equipment that they probably didn’t need.

Coniglio is doing fine now with an implanted pacemaker and defibrillator.

On Tuesday, Officer Jay Moriarty was at Highland Middle School when staff reported that a 61-year-old teacher had just collapsed on the soccer field.

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Officer Moriarty and another staff member grabbed the school’s defibrillator and ran out to the field.

School staff applied CPR and Officer Moriarty and staff deployed the defibrillator until Bellevue Fire Department medics arrived and took over.

The teacher was recovering at Overlake Hospital on Wednesday.

“I think it was awesome (helping save a life),” said Officer Moriarty. “And it was a good team effort.”

In November, Shane Burger and Jim MaKenzie Jr. were working a regular shift at Lapp Industries. Burger was called to a meeting along with a number of other employees to learn that they were all going to be laid off as work was being sent to plants overseas.

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Shane Burger & Jin Mckenzie the Saviours with Don Sherman the Survivor (center)

Burger said he was upset, but had no other choice to return to work for the day. Shortly after receiving the bad news, an emergency page came over the PA system in the plant. As part of the volunteer emergency response team, Burger was one of the first to arrive at the scene.

He found co-worker Don Sherman laying on the floor. He had no pulse and was blue from lack of oxygen.

Burger pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed 911.

While Burger was on the phone, MaKenzie arrived and quickly delegated responsibilities to those gathered around Sherman. Then, he began chest compressions as Burger — who was still on the phone — ran to get an emergency defibrillator.

The men hooked Sherman up to the defibrillator and administered two shocks. Then, they continued with CPR and maintained contact with the 911 dispatcher until the ambulance arrived.

Sherman was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital. He underwent triple bypass surgery and has been recovering well ever since.

Larry Collins was running sanding equipment when he was shocked at 2:04 p.m. Monday at Finished Metal Technologies, 3365 John F. Donnelly Drive, deputies said.

A co-worker managed to push him away from the machine and other workers started CPR on Collins.

When deputies arrived, he had no pulse and was not breathing, sheriff’s Lt. Mike Brookhouse said.

“We put the AED (defibrillator) on him. Within 30 seconds of it going off, he kind of started moving and breathing,” Brookhouse said.

All Ottawa County sheriff’s cruisers have portable AED units in their trunks, Brookhouse said.

“It saved this guy’s life. He is the luckiest guy around,” Brookhouse said.

Collins was taken to Holland Hospital to be treated.

Collins’ brother, Bob, described the situation as “touch and go” for a while, but said his brother was conscious and talking after being revived.

“He was putting up a fight about going to the hospital,” he said.

I shouldn’t have worn so many clothes.

That’s what Tom Tharp was thinking Sunday as he re-entered The Oklahoman’s Edmond distribution center, 3700 S Kelly Ave.

Moments before, he’d partially filled his car with folded newspapers for his delivery route.

He came back inside to get more, but he was hot and nauseated, bundled up too warmly.

“I’m feeling lightheaded,” Tharp remarked, then realized he was falling to his knees.

“That was the last I knew until I woke up in the ambulance,” he said.

Tharp, 57, had suffered a heart attack.

Recovering Monday at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, Tharp — a retired Oklahoma City police officer delivering papers as an independent contractor — credited his survival to three colleagues.

Sunday, Jonathan Powell, 24, and Melody Mahon, 19, were in the office at the distribution center, where route drivers fold and collect newspapers, when they heard someone had fainted. They saw Tracey Beamer on the floor near a sorting table, taking Tharp’s pulse.

“He’s stopped breathing,” Beamer said. “Does anyone know CPR?”

They didn’t. Not really. Powell had learned about it in high school and Boy Scouts but wasn’t certified, and Mahon hadn’t had any formal training, just bits and pieces she’d learned without really trying. But they rushed to help.

Powell began mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions. Beamer continued to monitor Tharp’s pulse, and Mahon tipped Tharp’s head back, keeping his airway open.

“After a few minutes, his color started coming back, and he was getting air,” Mahon said Monday. “His eyes were darting back and forth at people, but we knew he wasn’t conscious of what was going on.”

Powell said he continued CPR until police arrived. Firefighters and paramedics followed a few minutes later, and Tharp’s heart resumed beating on its own after he was zapped with a defibrillator.

“The doctor told me this morning that … if he hadn’t shocked him with those paddles, he would’ve died,” said Tharp’s wife, Cindy. “The people who worked on him with the CPR kept him alive.”

Powell said he is happy Tharp survived but is uncomfortable taking any credit.

“The real heroes are the policemen, the firefighters and the paramedics who do this every day,” he said.

Typically around 6 a.m., Peggy Willis’ boss, Dennis Sannebeck walks into the D.O.I.T office and he usually says ‘hello’.

But one day, shortly after their morning ritual, “I was vacuuming, came around the corner and he was sitting in his chair and he wasn’t moving,” Peggy recalls.

Peggy yelled for help, laid Dennis flat on the floor, and she started calling the shots.

“Got somebody started on CPR, got somebody else calling 911, and I knew where the defibrillator was.”

At the time, she had no formal training with an Automated External Defibrillator — or AED.

But Peggy figured she had nothing to lose.

“I opened it up, read the instructions, and the only thing I didn’t do was shave his chest. I figured if ripping the duct tape off doesn’t wake him up, nothing will (laugh)!”

All joking aside, her efforts worked.

Turns out Dennis’ heart beat out of rhythm, sped up and ultimately shut off.

She kept him alive until paramedics arrived and now Dennis has a pacemaker.

He is back to work and says he is forever indebted to Peggy for saving his life. “I couldn’t thank her enough. I can’t do enough for her.”

Peggy says helping each other is what co-workers do, but she admits, saving her boss’ life benefits her too. “Do you know hard it is to train a new supervisor? You gotta keep ‘em!”

Middletown school resource officer Mike Davis, 61, and Principal James Thomas had chased a student who ran into the street, and that not long after carrying the student back to the Wildwood Elementary building, Davis collapsed.

School nurse Sally Kash used a portable defibrillator and assisted in CPR with four other staff members until paramedics arrived.

Davis is known for heading the city’s summer Safety Town program in conjunction with the Middletown Police Department and Middletown Safety Council.

The program, heading into its 32nd year, focuses on traffic, bus and car safety for kindergartners.

Davis is being treated at Atrium Medical Center and last reported to be alert and talking.

Davis’ way with students is a vital part of the school, according to physical education teacher Su Burns. “He gets down on one knee to talk to them,” Burns said.

“He knows them all by name. They call out his name whenever they see him. And, I think he feeds off of that, too. We just want him back.”

When Dean Lowder, 48, was getting ready to start his shift as a robot operator at ConAgra Foods’ local plant, he never realized his life was going to change.

Conagra Team the Saviours

Talking to friends, getting ready to start a new shift and going through his routine was when the unexpected happened that Monday in late January.

“He just passed out, so the nurses came, did CPR and used a defibrillator,” said Lowder’s mother, Floy Underwood.

“The third shock with the defibrillator brought him back to life. He was taken to Saint Mary’s (Regional Medical Center), then to Little Rock.I was scared to death because you don’t ever know what has happened. It was just hard to think.

“I was driving and one of my sons called and said ‘Dean is in the hospital.’ As I was on the way to the hospital, someone from ConAgra called me and said that I needed to get there because something is wrong with Dean.

Both Underwood and Todd Lowder agreed Lowder wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for ConAgra’s emergency response team.

“If they didn’t do what they did, it wouldn’t matter what other doctors could do,” Lowder said. “They had to have something to work with first. I have more respect for it now. I have more respect for them. You don’t think twice about it, a fire hydrant or how close it is to your house until your house catches on fire. I have walked by (defibrillators) every day at work and never thought twice about it. Now it’s different.”

Underwood credits ConAgra for saving her son’s life because otherwise there wouldn’t have been a chance of him making it to the hospital in time.

“The nurses and having the defibrillators in the break room is why he’s alive. It was ConAgra having the right equipment and the right people too,” Underwood said. “It makes you realize how important life really is, and how when you see people, if you love them, tell them you love them.

“ConAgra should get the recognition. Not everyone cares that much about their employees.”

“My biggest thanks is to the people at ConAgra, the nurses, Dean’s coworkers and management,” Todd Lowder said. “They have one hectic job. I wish I could do more (than offer thanks). People do care about each other in big corporations.”