Bill Schaefer, Ballwin, MO – 67 at time of event (1999)

Ruthie asked her husband if he could hold on until they reached the gate at O’Hare airport. Bill says that request saved his life. If he had gone to the restroom like he wanted to, Roger, the flight attendant, wouldn’t have been there. Neither would the cardiologist from a nearby hospital. And Stacy, the lovely young and attractive blonde from Iowa, would never have given him the “kiss of life,” (the kiss of a lifetime?)

Bonnie Stine, Lakeland, FL – 51 at time of event (2006)

Bonnie never knew that she had something wrong with her heart. No one put all the little pieces together. She was often a little out of breath, not exactly in shape, pre-menopausal, and even had a little swelling in her ankles. As a registered nurse, she might have known better, but cardiology was not her specialty. She knew she was overweight, and the two Caesarian sections hadn’t helped.

Steve Vanderhelm, Council Bluff, IA – 53 at time of event (2005)

Steve is an avid bike rider. He rides all year round, but in winter the bike never leaves the house. Summer is the best time, when he and his brother-in-law, Ed, regularly ride more than 20 miles through the hills and dales of Pottawattamie County, on the border with Nebraska.

Kayla Burt, Portland, OR – 20 at time of event (2002)

It was New Year’s Eve, and her basketball team was staying over to celebrate. But Kayla never saw the festivities. She had freshly brushed teeth, and a brush with death. Loree Payne, her best friend, watched Kayla fall face down between the bed and the TV—they all thought it was a joke. But it wasn’t.

Lee Curtes, Hartford, WI – 54 at time of event (2000)

Lee would find it hard to choose a better place to die. He was 12,000 feet up on top of Belle’s Camp with his skis on, looking at Vail’s Blue Sky Basin. Luckily, Lee gets to repeat the visit every year, and meet with the people who saved his life.

Linda Dickson, Florissant, MO – 36 at time of event (2007)

For Linda, it was a normal Thursday in March 2007, remarkable only for a nasty headache that lasted all day. It threatened to upset her Church board meeting that night, but not in the manner that it eventually did.