The kindness of strangers

On June 8, 2021, I was riding my bicycle alone in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) near Grand Lake in Colorado. I had already ridden about one and a half hours when the world disappeared. At about 21 miles per hour, I had a heart attack and crashed my bicycle in a completely uncontrolled manner.  Fortunately, some park visitors who were viewing wildlife nearby noticed me lying in the road,… Read More

My teenage son saved my life

I am a professional land surveyor by trade and was 45 years old at the time of my sudden cardiac arrest. I have a home office just outside of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in a little unincorporated place called Lamartine. On the morning of June 13th, 2016, I returned home from a work meeting that I had in town. I think it was around 10 am. Being the middle of June, both of my sons were home from… Read More

SCA happened to me, but it doesn't define me 

It was April 19, 2017. I am a Senior Parole Officer with New York State. It was a report day in which the formerly incarcerated come to report to their officer. It was my first report day, back at work since my total knee replacement. My officers said that I mentioned in the morning briefing that I didn't feel well. Most assumed it was my knee. I do not remember not feeling well. Other… Read More

Had it not been for the heroic actions of my neighbor, I would not be here today

My wife and I had been walking daily in preparation for a hiking trip we planned to take out West. At the end of each walk, I sit on the porch and evaluate our walks through Fitbit, while my wife continues a “cool down” walk for about a block to reduce her heart rate. On April 6, 2021, my wife just happened to cut her cool down walk short. As she was walking up the driveway she asked “Greg, are… Read More

From homeless to hero

Mr. Howard, 63, was in town from Kentucky to attend Game 3 of the World Series with his adult son who lives locally. Mr. Howard was taking the Metro back to the airport early in the morning on Tuesday October 29, when he collapsed on the Metro platform. A bystander, Ms. Connie Flemmings, who was on her way to work at a nearby school, witnessed the event and stepped up to help, performing CPR… Read More

She brought me back to life before the EMTs arrived

My friend Marlene and I were at a Senior Center dancing when I collapsed and died! Marlene, who had just taken a course in hands-only CPR, rushed to my side and began compressions while calling for someone to call 911. Luckily there was an AED available and so she hooked me up to it and gave me one shock and then continued compressions. There were trained workers at the center but no one… Read More

If not for my husband's quick actions, I would not be here today

On Sunday evening March 25, 2018, around 11 pm, my husband and I were in bed watching television. I got up to brush my teeth and when I got back into bed my husband noticed that I was struggling to breathe and I began to lose consciousness. He quickly grabbed his cell phone and called 911, and as he was calling, he grabbed our dog (who was in the bed with us), put her in my 12-year-old daughter's… Read More

I was fortunate to be near an AED and people who knew how to use it

I serve as Congressman Ken Calvert’s Senior Advisor and work out of our District Office, which is located inside Corona City Hall. On November 4, 2019, I was at my desk working on the computer. Without any warning I felt an odd sensation in my head, my vision kind of narrowed, and I generally recall thinking to myself “this is not good” before things went completely black for me. My coworker,… Read More

Bystander CPR saved his life

Chandler walked into a restaurant to pick up take out when a man fell due to sudden cardiac arrest. He immediately accessed the man to see if he was breathing and he was not. Chandler is a RN and he immediately asked bystanders to call 911 and he began CPR. He performed CPR on the gentleman for four minutes and 48 seconds. The gentleman was transported to the hospital and later air lifted to a… Read More

A save on spring break

On March 15, 2021, my daughter was riding her bike with her cousins Zane and Zoey, while on spring break. Melissa was hit by a car and was sent into the air and landed on her head on the pavement. Zane rushed to call 911, while Zoey called home to let us know what just happened. When we arrived at the scene, the ambulance was already there. Melissa was rushed to the hospital just in time to be… Read More