January 23, 2007 – Immediate intervention saved the life of Reynold Nikaido, 50, after he collapsed suddenly at his home in Halimaile. His son, Ryan, 19, began CPR and sent for neighbor, Chris Gilbert, a paramedic who keeps an automated external defibrillator (AED) in his home. Gilbert used the AED to restore a normal heartbeat. Firefighters and paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later. Nikaido’s heart stopped several more times on the way to the Maui Memorial Medical Center. He was later transferred to Straub Clinic and Hospital in Honolulu, where he received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
Gilbert, a longtime CPR-AED instructor and early defibrillation advocate, is accustomed to saving lives on the job. But it was the first time Gilbert had used his personal defibrillator to help save a life.