Survivor Stories

Ken Coutts, Tugun, Australia – 54 at time of event (2008)  

Tod Streets, Philadelphia, PA--56 at the time of event (2012)

In a touching and extraordinary reunion in mid-January, a Philadelphia man finally met the Septa manager and nurse who saved his life.

When Tod Streets collapsed in cardiac arrest while waiting for his Septa train at the 30th Street Station two weeks ago, it was two strangers who came to his rescue.

Only CBS 3 cameras were there as Streets met Septa Manager Garry Deans and nurse Jeanne Pundt who came to visit him at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

During the emotional reunion, with hugs and tears, the two rescuers told Streets, who remembers nothing about the incident, how they spotted him as he collapsed on the platform.

They said Streets fell dangerously close to the track, where his rush-hour train was approaching.

Alastair Ruddick, Ponoka, Alberta Canada – 54 at time of event (2009)

Alastair and his brother, John, own a sports lounge and it was time that Wednesday evening to get a game up on the big screen. Bill was standing next to Alastair as they were looking for a hockey game on the TV. That’s when it happened.
“My brother said I took a depth breath, then a sigh, and just fell over dead!” Alastair related. “[He] called 9-1-1 while Bill ‘stood there and shook like a little girl’."

Within what seemed like seconds two EMTs arrived and began CPR. They had been at the gym next door and heard the call come in on their radios. They beat the ambulance by minutes!

Craig Dobbs, Indianapolis, IN – 42 at time of event (2010)

Craig is an avid mountain biker. He just couldn’t resist the beautiful August afternoon at the start of a four day weekend. He’d just completed a lap of the 7 mile trail near his home town of Indianapolis, when the day turned sour. Craig remembers being passed by a father and son and when he reached the picnic area the three of them shared a table to recover from their exertions. Craig began to feel sweaty and light headed–but not from the trail–he collapsed in front of them and his “lips turned blue”.

Luckily the father knew CPR and 9-1-1 was called. The ambulance arrived in minutes and shocked Craig a number of times. Craig, of course, was totally oblivious to all this activity. He had suffered a cardiac arrest and was unconscious. In fact he didn’t awake until nearly two weeks later!

Christopher Solomons Wakefield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom – 48 at time of event (2010)

As an emergency medical dispatcher for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Christopher Solomons had answered countless calls for help from people who'd witnessed someone collapse in sudden cardiac arrest.

Chris never expected he would become the one who needed help. While driving to work, Chris began having chest pain.
"I did not think much of it at the time, so I carried on driving to work," he says. Then his arm started to tingle, he began to sweat and the pain intensified. He tried to pull over and call for help, but his hands were spasming and he couldn't get the phone from his pocket. He stumbled into his office, where paramedics James Vine and Lee Davison quickly realized something was wrong.

Joe Farrell, San Diego, CA – 56 at time of event (2008)

Joe knows CPR, as does his wife Edie. Most of his colleagues do as well. He’s a physiotherapist you see, and gets trained in CPR/AED every two years. In August 2007 he saved a fellow on the golf course in the Sierra Miountains.
“You never think you’ll ever have to use those skills,” Joe said. “I knew exactly what to do.” he said with pride. “It was my first time, only time so far!”
What Joe should have said was his only time as a responder, because a year later he collapsed at a friends house (it was a memorial dinner for a victim of cancer). This time his colleagues were the ones to use those same skills to save him.

Raymond White, Kearney, NE – 45 at time of event (2009)

[Raymond has no recollection of his SCA event and is reliant upon his wife for the following details]

On November 6th, 2009 my husband suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

We got up as usual, had coffee, and planned to go out to eat breakfast. We had gone upstairs to get dressed when I heard him breathing deeply and moaning.

I found him laying on the bed sweating profusely, short of breath and severe chest discomfort radiating down his right arm. I immediately got him downstairs and had my son sit with him while I finished getting dressed. I knew calling EMS would take longer than me driving him into town.

I was headed for town, but only made it just inside the city limits to a trailer court when I had to pull over. It was cold out and I got him in a trailer he had been working on.

Mary Tappe, West Des Moines, IA – 43 at time of event (2004)

On Monday, May 17, 2004 I was running late to a meeting at work. As I was sitting down, my friend Rick made a smart-alec comment about my being late, I gripped my pen, and BAM, my head hit the desk. My co-workers waited for me to sit up with a retort, but I didn’t. I was not breathing. I had no pulse.

Peris Joyner, Seattle, WA – 55 at time of event (2009)

King County has a reputation for “saves” that is envied by many in the emergency services community. Peris is aware of this fact, and can testify to it’s veracity. The retired bank manager and his wife Carlla had decided to check out the new SoundTransit light rail connection to the airport one July weekend.

Bill Kushubar, Harrisburg, PA –54 at time of event (2009)

Bill says he’s not much of a golfer, in fact he doesn’t play anymore. It’s just isn’t the same game for him. He also doesn’t eat breakfast sausages anymore, the last ones were especially cooked on the grill that Sunday morning. But he does stay in touch with his golfing buddies. Especially Charlie.

Charlie Sourbeer had learnt CPR fifteen years earlier at work. He remembered how to do it, and Bill can testify to that fact.
“On the fifteenth hole I fell over. My friends thought I was kidding because I hit a bad shot! But then [he] saw I was turning purple. He [Charlie] started CPR, including mouth to mouth,” Bill said with admiration.