Survival Stories

A collection of stories about people who’s life was saved by everyday hero’s that stepped in to perform CPR. If you haven’t recently taken a CPR class we urge you to do so. Please sign up for a class today so you too can be an everyday hero when needed!

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His Team Lost, but He Won! March 5, 2012 Tom Sirmons Leo Staudacher hadn’t planned on watching the Michigan-Notre game on television, let alone in a hospital ICU unit. But he was very grateful to have seen the end of the game at all. The 69 year old Bay City man was watching the game at Michigan S...
What a Bystander was Taught Saves a Teacher’s Life February 5, 2012 Tom Sirmons When paramedics in Dallas arrived at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School, they found a teacher in the midst of a heart attack. “He was in ventricular fibrillation, a fatal rhythm,” said Fire Department Lieutenant Greg Henderson. They also found that a fellow educ...
Crossing the REAL Finish-Line December 27, 2011 Tom Sirmons He was only a tenth of a mile from the finish line of a half-marathon race in San Jose when the 40 year old man collapsed. A Stanford University Hospital nurse was nearby and quickly determined the man had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. She started CPR im...
Paying it forward - Sudden cardiac arrest survivor saves a classmate December 8, 2011 Pearl Salkin Survivors of sudden cardiac arrest usually feel lucky to be alive. Their rescuer was in the right place, at the right time and ready to use their CPR skills to save the victim‘s life.. While the successful outcome of each individual who has come back from...
Miracle in Marin November 10, 2011 Tom Sirmons The call came in to the Marin County, California Fire Department: “Bicyclist down”. Dispatchers say they get a lot of such calls, usually involving minor injuries. This one was different. When a fire truck and paramedics rolled up to the scen...
Father and Daughter Saved November 3, 2011 Tom Sirmons A Chicago man and his daughter were saved from drowning in choppy Lake Michigan, when fast-acting bystanders pulled them from the water. The father undoubtedly would have died on shore if a rescuer hadn’t put his CPR training to quick use. The 14-year ...
An Intersection of Need and Know-how October 27, 2011 Tom Sirmons Some might call it a bizarre set of coincidences, while others would say it was divine intervention. Either way, the fact that a 22-month old girl survived cardiac arrest was a miracle directly attributable to the CPR training of a passerby. ...
Trained in CPR October 19, 2011 Tom Sirmons You’re never too young to have a heart attack - or too young to save the life of someone who’s had one. Beth Scroggs was only 52 and in good health, riding San Francisco BART commuter train, when suddenly she slumped over in her seat, unconscious. Ms. Scr...
Guarding Life October 13, 2011 Tom Sirmons Live power lines and oncoming traffic didn’t deter a Massachusetts prison guard from saving the life of a man who’d suffered a heart attack while driving. Credit goes to a combination of bravery, fast action and CPR training. Edward Johansen was driving ...
A Life Saved, Automatically! September 22, 2011 Tom Sirmons Bystanders performing CPR and law enforcement officers equipped with a readily-available electronic device saved the life of a 74-year old heart attack victim in Cayucos, California. In both cases, a few hours of training made all the difference. Ben H...
My dad is Superman September 15, 2011 Benjamin Roussey The morning of the 3rd Saturday in May of 2008 was not any different than any other 3rd Saturday of any other month for Joe Fernando. A librarian by profession, Joe was also a trained first aid support volunteer. More like a custom out of habit, Joe got u...
Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim at work September 8, 2011 Pearl Salkin There is a funny quote attributed to American author and humorist Mark Twain stating that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. Florida resident and cardiac arrest survivor Charles Morgan can honestly say, “Been there, done that!” Morgan mirac...
Survivor Story of a Cardiac Arrest Victim – Highway to Hell September 1, 2011 Benjamin Roussey Robert Hill and his two kids Emma and Jade were driving back from their weekend trip from the amusement park. It was a custom with the Hill family to take a trip the final weekend of the month; only this time Christy, Robert’s wife, hadn’t been feeling to...
Let me tell you about Alex August 30, 2011 David Gerhartt If you have never witnessed a person go in to cardiac arrest then consider your self lucky. If you have then you experienced one of two things: 1: Complete helplessness 2: An overwhelming sense to act Those of you who would relate with ...
Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim walking to work August 25, 2011 Pearl Salkin Gas is expensive. Cars carrying commuters add huge amounts of pollutants to our already dirty air. By walking to work, those hardy souls who leave the auto at home and hop into a pair of sneakers for the daily trip on foot are getting some valuable exerci...
Eureka! They Found CPR! August 18, 2011 Tom Sirmons A man in Eureka, Oregon is alive today because two bystanders gave him CPR after he suffered a heart attack. It was shortly after eight in the morning, when a 911 dispatcher got the call: a man had collapsed in a shopping mall. A Fire Department Emergency...
Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim on the golf course August 11, 2011 Pearl Salkin When a weekend golfer lives in an area that gets blasted by winter’s furious snowstorms and seemingly endless stretches of sub-freezing weather, playing a round with a bunch of buddies on a gorgeous course on a warm, sunny day is something to celebrate. B...
Did you know cat litter weighs a ton? August 4, 2011 Linda Flack It was about 5:30 in the evening and I was cooking dinner. I was wondering how my 74 year old father was doing on his first day on the job as a bagger at Publix. It had been over six months that we had lost my Mom and I had done everything I could to g...
Extreme Sports leads to a need for Extreme CPR July 28, 2011 Benjamin Roussey Josh Garner, Matthew Gibson, and Bert Fox had decided to celebrate their high school graduation together at Josh’s house. His parents were not home so the three teenagers had the house all to themselves. The spirit of fun mixed with alcohol endowed courag...
An Angel on Wheels July 21, 2011 Tom Sirmons Angels don’t always appear in mystical visions. Sometimes, they show up on bicycles. During St. Petersburg’s ‘Meek and Mighty Triathlon’, an annual May event to raise funds for St. Anthony’s Hospital, 37-year old Teresa McCoy was about to finish the cycli...
Survival story of a cardiac arrest victim July 18, 2011 Pearl Salkin Millions of Americans celebrate our independence as they get together with friends, family and gobs of food for a blissful day at the beach or park followed by oohs and ahs at Fourth of July fireworks displays. But for two young women in Michigan with a s...

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