Emergency Care

Sally Sharp Missouri

I died on January 19, 2011.  My story begins on a typical school day...nothing was out of the ordinary and the day was going according to plan.  Then, that all changed.  I was sitting in my classroom beginning to eat lunch with some of my co-workers.  Things began to go terribly wrong.  I felt myself falling to the floor, with no prior warning signs.  None of my fellow teachers knew CPR so one of them ran out of the room in search of the head school nurse.  She came running into my room and started administering CPR on me to get my heart started again. 

The school nurse's quick thinking along with other life-saving procedures, started my heart beating again.  I was transported by ambulance the hospital where I spent the next five days for extensive testing to find out the cause.  It has since been diagnosed and under control.  I have lost 63.8 pounds since October 8, 2011. I strongly support the American Heart Association's initiative to teach CPR to students and I hope my story inspires you and others to live heart-healthy.

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Kelsey Neal Nebraska

I had a cardiac arrest when I was 13 years old. My parents found me on the floor in my bedroom.  At the time they did not know what happened, but they noticed that I wasn't breathing.  My mom called 911 and my dad started CPR. The only training that he had had was from was from when he was in high school. It wasn't the newest method of CPR but obviously it was still effective because it saved my life.  The medical professionals who treated me that day told my parents that for every minute that your body doesn't receive oxygen your chance of not surviving increases by 10%.  I was in the hospital for two weeks before I came home.  While I was there, they implanted an ICD (Internal Cardiac Defibulator) in my heart. This device will shock my heart back into rhythm if I ever have another cardiac arrest. I recently took a CPR course and am now certified.  I believe that CPR should be a high school graduation requirement.  It is something fairly easy to learn, but is so effective in helping to save a life!  I am told that you are more likely to give a family member CPR than you are a stranger. So why not know such a simple thing so you could save the life of someone you love?

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Arden and Linda Warner North Dakota

Arden Warner, Rugby, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while entering a local business.  The heroic efforts of an off duty EMT and a county Deputy/EMT saved the 63-year-old man’s life.

Warner's wife, Linda, has been a You're the Cure Advocate with AHA for many years. She stated "he is one lucky guy – for those two trained EMTs to be in the same place as Arden. It’s just unbelievable!”

 When the EMT realized there was not a pulse, she immediately started CPR while the second EMT/Deputy went to get the AED from inside the Spirit Lake Casino. The AED shocked him a couple times before a rhythm was detected.

 Arden was flown to a Grand Forks hospital where a defibrillator was implanted and Arden is doing just fine now.  Linda said, “Our family is so very grateful for these two trained EMTs. They are very humble heroes, and we simply can’t thank them enough.”

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As the American Heart Association continues to prioritize CPR training, especially for New York's high school students, we have come across some of the most amazing advocates who are working tirelessly to support our policy work.  But heroes come from every walk of life and anyone who is focused on CPR & AED awareness deserves our recognition.  Along those lines, the American Heart Association has decided to reinstate the NYC Heartsaver Recognition Program! 

These awards will help shine a spotlight on exemplary New Yorkers who've gone above and beyond the call of duty to help rescue someone.  Whether the rescuer is a trained responder or someone who was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time...we want to hear their story!  Please download the application here and send it back to our office by May 31st.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Download the application here.

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