Beyond saving me, she saved our family
It was a Saturday morning like any other. We were home and getting ready for the day. The kids were all upstairs playing, and my wife and I were in the bathroom having an animated discussion, something about finances. At the height of our debate, I told her (but I do not remember this) that I was going to pass out. I was in cardiac arrest, not breathing and without a pulse. Apparently, I wasn’t… Read MoreThe first hero enables others to become heroes, too
My wife's parents are 67-years-old and have lived with us the 10 years of our marriage together. I call them Mama and Baba. Daily, they help us to raise our two children, to cook, to clean, to do laundry, and Baba has been renovating our home in Ann Arbor. Last summer, our project was to add a deck and landscaping on the back side of the house. They are both incredibly energetic and hard working… Read More
A decision to act made all the difference
They could have passed by, but they decided to help. Their decision made the difference between life and death. Because of their heroic actions, Juliana and Bill Schirmer have been named winners of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation’s “People Saving People Award” for saving the life of Al Hart. It was June 15, 2019. Bill and Juliana Schirmer were supposed to go to Yosemite, but at the last… Read MoreHigh school track star saved by coach and sheriff deputy
Greydon Fischer, one of our sophomore track athletes, collapsed during practice on April 12th. He was having what appeared to be a seizure when Coach Kurt Anderson was able to get to him from across the track. Coach Anderson said once Greydon stopped seizing, he noticed Greydon was not breathing. Coach Anderson immediately started chest compressions on Greydon as some of his teammates ran for the… Read More
Thanks to Jake's decisive actions and a Project ADAM AED, his friend survived and is doing well
Since I wasn’t present at the event, I will let Jake describe what happened. “I have always participated in athletics and spend every Wednesday evening playing pick-up basketball with my friends at a local school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We’re a very average group of men, all in our early 30s, but one Wednesday night pick-up basketball game turned out to be “not-so-average.” When we were about… Read More
Without bystander help, I would be another statistic in the sudden cardiac death column
On Wednesday, July 29th, 2015, I boarded SWA flight #898 in Las Vegas, NV, and departed for Boise, ID, for a business meeting. My flight arrived at 5:25 pm. As I headed for the baggage claim, I noticed that I became slightly lightheaded. There were four seats along the right wall of the concourse. When I took a couple of steps I felt my lightheadedness increase and decided to sit down. I was… Read MoreHigh school CPR training comes in handy
After attending a baseball game in Detroit, I was walking back to my car with my daughters. We came upon a scene where a homeless gentleman was frantic and another homeless gentleman was laying on the ground. The first gentleman said he is dead. We could see that he was not moving nor breathing. Another bystander (unknown name but declared he has medical training) and my daughter (who works in a… Read More
If not for my 15-year-old son's persistence, I would certainly have died that day
I was a 52-year-old practicing physician and soccer mom. I had no cardiac risk factors and was thin and fit. I thought I was perfectly healthy when I woke up one Saturday morning and was getting ready to drive my 15-year-old son Eli to a soccer tournament. I was drying my hair when I suddenly had very severe pain which felt like something tearing in my chest. I thought it was heartburn and… Read MoreLast summer I almost lost him
My memory is limited about the event, but I do know that I would not be here if Amy was not with me when I went down. So, I will let Amy describe what happened. “Michael is my partner of 17 years. Last summer I almost lost him. He had come inside after watering the plants on a hot summer day. He looked at me and began gasping. Then he fell on the floor. At first, I was unsure if he was choking… Read More