First Aid Corps

Fortunately for Catskill resident James Brennan of Hudson Avenue, it took less than four minutes for emergency responders to arrive after his collapse.

EMTs Rob, Michael & Cory the Saviours

At 6:10 p.m., Brennan’s wife called 911, reaching Catskill Police Department dispatcher Erika Ruger, and Catskill Police Officer Steven Deitz was dispatched to the residence at 6:12 p.m. and began CPR by 6:14 p.m.

Catskill Ambulance Emergency Medical Technician Cory Birk, who was off-duty and visiting a friend only a block away on High Street, overheard the radio communications on his friend’s police scanner and responded to the scene.

He quickly utilized the Automatic Electronic Defibrillator, which each Catskill Police patrol car equips, and was able to revive Brennan, who is in his 60s, according to EMTs.

“When someone puts their professional responsibilities beyond their own personal needs, it is beyond invaluable when it comes to saving someone’s life,” said Town Supervisor Peter Markou, who commended Birk with the first-ever citation for outstanding performance by a first responder.

Catskill EMT Michael Eisshofer of East Greenbush and EMT-Intermediate Rob Brooks of Purling were also commended by the board for their service in the incident.

Eisshofer and Brooks responded and performed further CPR to stabilize Brennan.

“He was touch and go for a while there,” said Brooks, who noted he became unresponsive during treatment.

“If we weren’t there for another two minutes,” Brooks said, “he wouldn’t have had a chance.”

“A life was saved because of their service,” Markou said of the responders.

“I just did my job,” said Birk.

“They don’t feel that they’ve done anything special,” said Catskill Ambulance Administrator Matthew Leibowitz, “but of course, whenever you save a life it’s special.”

“This is what we do,” said Brooks. “It’s special in that there are not many situations where they are actually able to walk out of the hospital.”

47-year-old Jackie Shashaty suffered a heart attack around 11:30 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 9, collapsed on her bedroom floor, and began to have a seizure.

Shashaty’s boyfriend, Cedar Grove Police Officer Scott Moody, was inside her house, heard the fall, and raced into the bedroom where he discovered Shashaty had no pulse.

Her heart had stopped beating.

Moody performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Shashaty, a mother of two, and called 911.

Moody also called Shashaty’s sister, Marge Quirk, a Jersey City school nurse, who lives just up the road from Shashaty.

Officers and emergency personnel responded to Shashaty’s Rugby Road home in a matter of minutes.

By the time she arrived on the scene, Quirk was watching members of Cedar Grove’s Ambulance and Rescue Squad shock Shashaty’s heart with a defibrillator.

“I knew she was not alive at that moment,” said Quirk.

Shashaty said her heart was shocked a total of six times by the defibrillator before it slowly began to beat and a faint pulse returned.

Cedar Grove Ambulance and Rescue Squad members transported Shashaty to Mountainside Hospital in Montclair.

A few days after having the implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, Shashaty was released from the hospital. She is now recovering at her home along with the help of her two children.

Although she had a busy schedule on Jan. 9, Shashaty said she has no recollection of anything that occurred before or after the heart attack.

“I didn’t see anything,” said Shashaty after being revived. “I don’t have a recollection of anything.”

When asked if she had a message to the emergency personnel who helped resuscitate her, Shashaty said, “Thank you for saving my life. My kids still have their mom.”

Lewis Gooden was visiting friends on Old East Road on Dec. 4.

Karen & David Rodham the Saviours

After visiting and having a cup of tea with Karen and David Rodham, he got up to leave and suddenly collapsed, suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.

Mrs. Rodham said they were all standing together so her husband was able to catch Mr. Gooden before he hit the floor and she immediately called 911. “It was seconds that he could’ve been out the door,” she said.

The 911 operator in Laconia walked the couple through the new CPR format, keeping Mrs. Rodham calm on the phone. The operator had her count compressions out loud while Mr. Rodham actually performed the 600 chest compressions as directed. Then help started to arrive.

“Thank God for Rick, he came walking through the door right at 600,” Mrs. Rodham said. Officer Rick Grima of the Whitefield police used the AED (automated external defibrillator) from his cruiser and was able to successfully shock Mr. Gooden’s heart.

The officer, a former EMT himself, admitted it was the first time he’d ever had to shock anyone. “I guess you did a good job,” Mr. Gooden quipped, laughing as the two men spoke.

Mr. Roy said he doesn’t remember any of the events of Dec. 4, but he’s thankful for everyone who helped.

After being transported to Weeks Medical Center in Whitefield, he was flown to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester and now sports an internal defibrillator to regulate his heart.

Mr. Rodham applauded the efforts of both Lancaster and Whitefield EMS in saving his friend. Among the responders were experienced EMTs, teen Explorers and the Fire Chiefs themselves, all of who played a role in helping to keep Mr. Roy alive en route to the hospital.

It was during the early evening hours of Jan. 27, when Officer Jeremy Tetreault and Sgt. John Wasson were out on patrol and answered a call reporting a female having difficulty breathing.

Jill Heap (center) the Survivor

Wasson and Tetreault immediately realized that Jill Heap’s condition had worsened to the point where she was not breathing, had no pulse and no blood pressure.

Using a portable defibrillator from one of the police cruisers, the officers began the process that would ultimately save Heap’s life.

“I began the CPR process,” Wasson said.

“The sergeant gave her some breaths while I did the compressions,” Tetreault said.

Amidst all the activity, Tetreault was tending to Heap’s husband and two daughters, and two dogs, advising them to go to a neighbor’s home while the officers did their work.

“We began the process until the Fire Department arrived and took over,” Wasson said. “It was a joint effort and we saved a life. We’re all ‘first responders,’ and we work together,” Wasson said.

“I was proud and energized,” Wasson said, when asked how he felt after the successful teamwork paid off. “It puts you right back on top again.”

And on top again is just where the Heap family finds itself today. While Jill Heap has little or no recollection of what happened in her family room that day, her husband is quick to praise both police officers, as well as the Fire Department, which provides the CPR training.

“All the (responders) were very, very professional,” Derek Heap said, “professional and kind, just outstanding.”

Katelyn Heap, an eighth-grader at Seabrook Middle School, said she was “terrified” when her mother became ill.

“I feel grateful that they jumped right into action,” Katelyn said.

“I was very petrified, very scared,” said her sister Brooke, a fourth grader at Seabrook Elementary School. “I’m grateful to the Seabrook Fire Department.”

Jill Heap said she feels fine now, and that she has had a defibrillator inserted into her body.

Rob collapsed after going to bed early with flu-like symptoms at his home in Newport, Gwent.

Rob Waggett the Survivor

Two hours later Dianna heard him struggling for breath through a baby monitor she keeps on the upstairs landing and by the time she reached him Rob was taking his last breaths.

Dianna, 29, said: “I said my goodbyes and told him I loved him and then watched as he died in my arms.”

She dialled 999 and was told how to try to resuscitate him as an ambulance was alerted.

Dianna also shouted to next-door neighbour Gary Thompson who helped her desperately perform CPR for four minutes until the paramedics arrived.

They then used a defibrillator to shock Rob’s heart six times without success.

As the minutes clicked by they tried one last time — and he suddenly started breathing again.

He was then rushed to hospital where he was put into a medically-induced coma.

Doctors warned her that even if he pulled through it was likely he had suffered serious brain damage.

She said: “I started grieving because I thought there was no hope, I didn’t know what I was going to tell our two young sons.”

Three days later Rob shocked doctors when he opened his eyes — but he failed to recognise Dianna who was keeping a bedside vigil because his brain had been starved of oxygen.

But amazingly the next day he woke up and asked nurses: “What’s my wife doing sleeping on the floor?”

He gradually began to piece together his long-term memories and three days later was well enough to see his children, three-year-old Mylo and Koby, one.

Dianna said she will always be grateful to neighbour Mr Thompson and paramedics Dan Faulker, Alan Hodge and Gary Evans.

“I am so grateful that the paramedics carried on working on him.

“They didn’t just save Rob’s life, they’ve saved mine and the children’s as well.”

Rob said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet what has happened. I’m so thankful to hospital staff and everyone who helped.”

Stacey Beltran was at the home of Doug and Joanne Briggs for their traditional family Christmas Eve gathering of hors d’oeuvres and a bingo game.

Stacey Beltran the Saviour & Doug Briggs

As Beltran recalls, her Uncle Doug had just asked who had made the meatballs when he crashed to the floor.

Beltran’s sister dialed 911 but asked Beltran to talk to the dispatcher.

Beltran said she followed the directions of the dispatcher and remembered what she learned at the Dec. 18 CPR training that took place at Hamilton Elementary School, where she is a kindergarten teacher.

The class was led by Sandy Wargo of the Novato Fire District.

She provided CPR for about 5 minutes until paramedics arrived to take Briggs to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Terra Linda.

Briggs said he was told he received three electric jolts from the paramedics’ defibrillator and three more in the ambulance.

He underwent surgery to install a pacemaker/defibrillator and is recovering well, he said.

“I’m so proud of her,” he said.

Wargo has heard the 911 recording and “she comes right out and says she took CPR from Sandy Wargo,” Wargo said with a laugh. “You could hear her in the background counting out loud as she’s doing the compressions.

“So this one really touches home with me. When you teach so many people CPR, you never know if they’re going to step up to the plate in an emergency and use those skills.”

As Emilie Bioty’s boyfriend drove her to her Vandercook Lake home in August, she collapsed in the front passenger seat.

Emilie Bioty (right) the Survivor

Boyfriend Dalton Smaga made it into her driveway and ran into the house to alert Bioty’s parents, Alecia and Tom Bioty.

They performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

“They didn’t think she was going to make it,” Tom Bioty said. “We thought we had lost our baby.”

The 17-year-old survived, but she was an exception. She suffered from cardiac arrest, which kills more than 90 percent of its victims.

The Bioty family now encourage people to get trained in CPR, and Alecia Bioty says it should be taught in health classes at schools.

“You may never have to use it, but if you do need it, it’s there,” she said.

Emilie Bioty later was diagnosed with Long QT syndrome, a disorder that can cause a person to develop a dangerous heart rhythm called an arrhythmia. Now she takes medication and has a pacemaker and defibrillator.

After her near-death experience, Emilie Bioty stopped worrying about the small things and what people think about her, she said. She is a junior at Vandercook Lake High School.

“I have the support of my family, and we are dealing with what we think is our new normal,” she said.

“I remember I had grilled us some burgers and had been whining to Tom about going swimming with me and the grandchildren at the Bricelyn pool,” says Shery Lamont, a nurse. “At first, he wasn’t going to go, but then he changed his mind.”

Tom Lamont (right) the Survivor

Sheryl says she told her three grandchildren to get their suits on while she finished doing the dishes. Then she got suited-up as well.

Meanwhile, waiting for everyone to get ready, Tom sat on the love seat.

“While I was in the kitchen, I heard gasping, snoring, loud respiration sounds similar to what our dog makes when it’s sleeping,” says Sheryl. “So I went to check things out and found Tom lying on the love seat.”

At first, when Tom didn’t respond to her, Sheryl says she thought he was just kidding her, trying to get out of the swimming trip. Then, looking at him more closely, she knew something more serious was happening to her husband.

“Tom was lying on the love seat,” she recalls. “His eyes were fixed. He was non-responsive and yellowish in color. I knew we were in trouble!”

“I started yelling at him,” recalls Sheryl, “don’t you leave me!”

She then called ‘911.’

“I told them to put a step on it,” she says. “I also told them I was going to start giving him CPR.”

It was at this point, she pulled her husband off the love seat to the floor and began CPR.

Still unresponsive, Tom turned a plum color as she was performing CPR on him. At this same time, the three grandchildren stepped into the room and saw her working on their grandfather.

Doug Besendorf and Heather Anderson, Frost Ambulance EMTs were the first on the scene and came running into the house.

“Before using the defibrillator, I wanted Sheryl to be totally off Tom and the couch away from them so no one would be zapped by the electrical shock,” recalls Heather.

Heather says she kicked the love seat aside, then ripped Tom’s shirt off before hooking the defibrillator to him.

Letting the machine talk and guide her through the process, Heather applied the paddles to Tom’s chest and shocked him once.

“Within the first five minutes,” says Sheryl, “Heather had Tom’s heart stopped and restarted by using the defibrillator. Then Randy (Benji) Anderson, another Frost Ambulance EMT continued the compressions on Tom.”

Tom was then back-boarded and loaded into the ambulance by the Frost EMTs.

He had a pulse when they left the house and was breathing on his own and moaning while en route to Blue Earth’s United Hospital District.

During his 10-day stay in Rochester, Tom underwent double by-pass surgery and had an ICD or internal cardiac defibrillator inserted into his chest.

Looking back on the day, Tom has no recollection of the incident, of his ambulance ride or of the air vac. All he remembers is sitting on the love seat in his home and the next thing he recalls is seeing his brother, David, and other family members at his hospital bedside.

“Just in seconds your life can change,” says a still disbelieving Sheryl of the day’s events. “From feeling helpless in a seemingly empty town, in just a few minutes my yard was full of people.”

“I’m just glad to be married to a nurse,” jokes Tom as he hears the story once again of his near-death experience.

Looking at her husband with a smile, Sheryl says, “you owe me a CPR.”

Mary Lundvall had gone into cardiac arrest while getting ready for church. She had collapsed in front of her daughter, Shonna, in an upstairs bedroom.

Mary Lundvall (centre) the Survivor

As if watching your mother go into cardiac arrest isn’t traumatic enough, this happened on Mother’s Day.

When she dialed 911, Shonna was so hysterical that dispatcher Charity Stewart had trouble understanding what she was saying.

Police Sgt. Joe Baird and officers Derek Weinhardt and Tim Vogt were first on scene. Before rushing inside, Vogt grabbed a defibrillator and medical bag from his trunk.

The officers quickly went to work. Weinhardt checked Lundvall’s pulse while Vogt hooked up the defibrillator.

Meanwhile, Baird took Shonna downstairs to try to calm her down.

When Officer Brian McColley showed up, he took Lundvall’s husband, Dennis, aside so the other officers could work. Dennis had been performing CPR when police arrived.

Vogt delivered a shock and within seconds Lundvall had a faint pulse. That’s all it took. The shock had revived her. Soon she was conscious and alert, and by the time an ambulance arrived, Lundvall was talking.

She was rushed to Campbell County Memorial Hospital and later flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Billings, Mont. Vogt stayed by her side right up until a Life Flight airplane whisked her away.

Afterward, Lundvall thanked Vogt, telling him he went “over and above the call of duty.”

In his 18 years in law enforcement, Baird never saw an unresponsive patient snap back as quickly as Lundvall did. When he heard her talking, he almost went into cardiac arrest himself, he joked.

“It was a miracle,” Baird said.

Today, Lundvall is healthy and grateful, especially for the officers who helped save her life.

“God was definitely with us,” Lundvall said.

“It was a normal Sunday,” Dan Horgan recalled. “We got up, read the paper, made waffles.”

Dan doesn’t remember much more than that.

“He was down at the end of the counter paying bills,” said Lori Horgan, wife of 28 years. “I said something and there was no response. I said something else and there was still no response. I looked up and there he was lying on the counter.

Lori said she thought he was being funny “because he had joked earlier about how the bills were going to kill him.”

She quickly realized Dan wasn’t kidding, though. After she labored to get him down onto the floor, she took his pulse and came up empty-handed. His heart had stopped beating.

Lori then called 9-1-1 and began giving him CPR as she waited for help to arrive.

She estimated it was no more than five minutes before Chaska Police Officer Brady Juell was at their door.

Juell used the AED ( automated external defibrillator )to give Dan a couple of jolts to restart his heart.

Not long after, an ambulance arrived to transport Dan to Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia where he was stabilized before heading to Abbott Northwestern.

Instead of waking up two days after his cardiac arrest, it took Dan a week to come around.

Since August, his recovery has been speedy. A week after waking up, Dan was discharged to home to regain his strength. He was back full-time to his job as a computer technician just after Labor Day.

While the physical recovery has been challenging, wrapping his head around what happened to him has also been difficult for Dan. He has trouble holding back the tears when he thinks about what Lori and his family went through the week he was in a coma.

“It’s always there, in our minds,” said Lori.

Dan is also thankful for the quick response of the Chaska Police. “By golly, if I get pulled over by that man, I’m gonna get out and hug him,” he said.

“[Juell] was just doing his job, but he saved a life that day,” said Lori. “I’m thankful to be here,” said Dan. “I’m thankful for everything. I’m thankful to be able to go get a tree and just (pause) just to be here.”

Now, with their new lease on life, the Horgans are enjoying every day together. There are only two rules Lori has forced upon Dan.

“He can’t sit at that end of the counter and he’s not allowed to pay bills on Sunday,” she said.