First Aid Corps

Greg Long, 36, of Woodstock, a participant in the Shenandoah County Parks and Recreation Department’s 35-and-older men’s basketball league, went to substitute for a teammate after halftime, took three steps onto the court and instantly had a seizure, said his fiancee, Chastidy Romick.

Greg Long the Survivor

He tried to get up, took two deep breaths and quit breathing, turning blue, she said.

Players and county staff assigned to Central High School rushed to begin CPR.

“It felt like we were moving in slow motion,” said Terri Wymer, the gym supervisor in charge.

Rushing as fast as he could at the same time, Bill Simmons, a member of the team playing against Long’s squad, retrieved one of Central’s automated electronic defibrillators from a box mounted on the wall at the school’s entrance. A coach and teacher at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School, he, like other coaches, was trained to use the device in August.

The thinking, though, was that if there ever came a time to use the AED, it would not be on a healthy 36-year-old who had no known heart-related issues.

“Disbelief,” Simmons said.

With the help of others, he gave Long a shock before rescue personnel arrived and took control. They transported Long to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital and he was later transferred to Winchester Medical Center.

At SMH, Long was coherent but couldn’t remember anything, and complained only of his knees hurting, Romick said.

“It was definitely a joint effort on everybody’s part,” Wymer said.

“CPR wasn’t bringing him back,” Romick said. “Within 40 minutes [of getting shocked] he was talking to us. … If that defibrillator was not in there and someone was not there [trained] to use it, we would be planning his funeral right now.”.

Al Murphy, 62, retired ranger for the Chelan Ranger District, was participating in the Co-Ed Jamboree recreational hockey tournament this weekend. He was playing in his fifth game of the tournament, and third game of the day, when he went into cardiac arrest.

Al Murphy (bottom right) the Survivor

He just happened to be sitting next to teammate Dr. Lisa Petersen of Wenatchee, who started CPR when she could not find a pulse.

Players and spectators watched in horror. She continued the life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived and restarted his heart with a portable defibrillator.

Murphy regained consciousness Tuesday and was in serious condition this morning. His wife, Nanc and sons Taber and Corbin have been with him.

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

Christian Barton, 30, who was fielding a ground ball at second base at a Patchogue softball field , collapsed as he was about to throw the ball.

The officers, Paul Schreiber and Edward Ryby, and a Patchogue Village public safety officer Jim Mylett responded Saturday night to the 911 call from Shore Front Park in Patchogue.

Schreiber, who was only three blocks away when he received the call, arrived first. Barton’s teammates were already performing CPR.

“As soon as I got there, his teammates were waiting for me,” Schreiber said. “Nobody was panicking, which helped the situation tremendously.”

They rolled Barton on his back and used a defibrillator to monitor his condition. Mylett and Ryby arrived shortly after and took over the CPR.

When Barton stopped breathing, the defibrillator signaled that shock was needed. It wasn’t till after the second shock that Ryby noticed a pulse on Barton’s neck.

The Patchogue ambulance arrived and transported Barton to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, where he was held in the emergency room for two hours. He was then transferred to Stony Brook University Medical Center and was sedated overnight, according to Barton’s cousin Brian Jenkins, 26, of Amityville.

As soon as yesterday evening, Barton, of Spar Drive was breathing on his own and laughing with his two young sons, according to Jenkins.

“I’m just so happy we were all able to help,” Schreiber said. “That’s why they call them teammates. It was a complete group effort.”

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

About 4.45pm 22-year old Diarmuid O’Connell suddenly and without warning collapsed to the ground.

One eye witness told The Corkman that umpires immediately brought on a stretcher to the young man and quickly realised that his condition was serious.

Luckily, a portable defibrillator, bought for the Castlemagner club two years ago, which was just 20 yards away and was brought to his side. His two quick-acting team mates, Gearoid O’Leary and DJ Collins put their CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training to fast use.

“Gearoid and DJ knew that it was serious as Diarmuid was out cold and a defibrillator will not give a shock unless it is needed,” said an eyewitness. “The two boys working on Diarmaid remained calm and were in full control at all times. This all happened so suddenly and without warning. Everything that could be done was done and it was done efficiently.”

An ambulance went immediately to the pitch at Castlemagner, as did a doctor from Southdoc and the Gardai. The ambulance subsequently received a Garda escort to CUH.

Diarmuid works as a teacher in Rathmore and he started the game playing wing forward.

Millstreet referee Denis Hickey said he suddenly heard roaring and shouting. “It was a terrible shock and thankfully there was a defibrillator at Castlemagner,” he told The Corkman. “This is now a wake-up call to other clubs in the area who do not have one.”

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

Without warning, Greg Boorsma, 39 years old, became a little shaky and collapsed on the bench during a recreational hockey game during the Aaron Kitchen Memorial tournament.

Beside him was Paul Lymburner, who has been in similar situations and recognized the severity of the situation. He has administered CPR in the past and he knew Greg required it. He immediately called out for teammates to find his wife Colleen, who is a nurse and was watching, along with another friend and nurse, Tracy House.

They rushed to the bench and found that Greg’s vital signs were absent.

Another teammate, Mike Schmalz, was on the ice when the episode began.

But upon realization that the nurses could not get a pulse, he immediately rushed to the lobby to retrieve the recently-installed defibrillator. Others called for staff to call 911.

Greg was transported to Haldimand War Memorial Hospital before being transferred to Hamilton General, where he remains in stable condition.

Although the situation was grave at the time, Joanie said, “Thank God it happened when it did and there people there to help and do what needed to be done,” she said.

Joanie was very thankful for her friends and Greg’s teammates. “We owe Colleen and Tracy a world of thanks. They’re angels,” she said.

“I was sitting with Tracy and Colleen and we thank our lucky stars that we had the help we had,” said Joanie.

“Everyone involved was wonderful. Mike (Schmalz) took charge and made sure the girls had room to work. The whole team was just wonderful, awesome,” she said.

She added, “Thank God the defib was in the area.”

And although Tracy had never used a defibrillator before, she had performed CPR at the hospital. She was happy to have her lifelong friend Colleen, who has had experience using the defibrillator in the hospital, beside her.

“When we’re doing this, we’re thinking about his wife beside us and his three children and we thought, ‘We have to get him back; this has to work’, said Collleen.”

“I’m still a bit shaky but feel great that it worked. It (the defibrillator) was there and it worked. We definitely had to have the machine,” added Colleen.

We will be reporting on lives saved around the world since our first documented life saved here in Singapore.

A few minutes into a pickup basketball game at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School on Dec. 14, Chris Cannan passed the ball to his teammate Hollis Wilkes. Instead of catching it, Wilkes dropped to the floor, unconscious. 

When Wilkes collapsed, Stephen Taylor and others immediately tried to conduct CPR while others called 9-1-1.

But when they failed to open the airway, Taylor’s mind immediately went to the AED located just outside the gym, near the trophy case.

“I just kind of new where it was, and most facilities now have them,” said Taylor, a Takoma Park resident who had been trained on how to use an AED at an occupational health care company he used to work for. “It was just a matter of finding it.”

Taylor had time to prep the AED and administer one jolt of electricity to an unconscious Wilkes before the paramedics rushed inside and took control of the situation.

“Some people were upset. Some people prayed. There was the gamut of different reactions you’re going to have,” Cannan said.

“Without the defibrillator, he would have died,” Taylor said.

By Monday, Wilkes was sitting up in bed and joking with players who came to see him. Taylor said despite nearly dying, Wilkes was eager to resume the game, which has been going on with a core group of players for roughly a decade.

“He wants to keep hooping,” he said.