‘I’m just glad to be alive’: Halifax man thanks people who saved him from heart attack – Halifax | 24CA News

A Halifax man who was resuscitated by a gaggle of strangers whereas having a significant coronary heart assault final month lastly obtained a possibility on Saturday to thank each the primary responders and bystanders who saved his life.

59-year-old Frank Whiteley was strolling to work when he went into cardiac arrest and have become unresponsive on a Quinpool Road bench.

An onlooker instantly referred to as 911 and commenced performing CPR earlier than one other girl joined to help.

“I’m just glad to be alive,” mentioned Whiteley, who was revived twice earlier than arriving on the Dartmouth General Hospital, the place he spent two days on life assist.

“Normally, I have a routine. I go on the bus, get off, go to Tims, start walking down the street … I must’ve got tired and sat down,” he mentioned, as he tried to recall the day’s occasions, admittedly mentioning that he doesn’t bear in mind a lot.

Whiteley’s granddaughter was answerable for organizing Saturday’s reunion with these concerned. He mentioned the gathering was “quite emotional” for him.

“I thought it was going to be a quiet little thing,” he laughed, saying he was grateful to lastly be capable of thank the people who assisted in getting him the care he required on the time.

“He was not ready to go”

Melissa Savoie, a healthcare employee from New Brunswick, was coming back from taking her nice nephew to an appointment within the metropolis when she noticed Whiteley laying unresponsive on a bench.

“I could see there was a woman, on the phone, and she looked like she needed some help,” she mentioned, as she was the second bystander to answer the incident. “911 that was on the phone told us to start compression … and we were able to bring a pulse back.”

Following Whiteley’s transportation to the hospital, Savoie mentioned she searched on-line to see if there was any data relating to his standing.

“We did try to call the hospital and they couldn’t say anything due to confidentiality,” she mentioned, including that the day after she was knowledgeable of the news that her position helped resuscitate Whiteley again to well being.

Savoie mentioned she was grateful to “finally” get to talk with Whiteley throughout Saturday morning’s reunion at an Emergency Health Services paramedic base in Dartmouth.

“I was waiting for this day,” she mentioned.

Savoie mentioned if she hadn’t determined to seize one thing to eat from McDonald’s earlier than commuting again to New Brunswick, she wouldn’t have been within the space on the time of Whiteley’s cardiac arrest.

“I believe that I was meant to be there … he was not ready to go,” she mentioned. “I could see he was unresponsive and having a heart attack, we’re trained to know what the signs are of a heart attack, so you don’t think, you just go into it.”

“It’s just important to have CPR. I think everyone should learn to do it and when somebody needs you, you need to act upon it,” Savoie mentioned. “It could be my family member. It could be anybody. It doesn’t matter, you just have to do it.”

The excellent ‘chain of survival’

Paramedic James McMaster mentioned the incident, which occurred on the afternoon of June 6, was an instance of an efficient “chain of survival” that begins with “the bystander’s early recognition of cardiac arrest and then activation of the emergency system,” he mentioned.

He mentioned following the paramedic’s arrival, they positioned defibrillation pads onto Whiteley and obtained a shock “right away”, earlier than putting him into an ambulance and administering cardiac arrest medication as they monitored his situation.

Reuniting with a former affected person following their admission to the hospital is uncommon for many first responders, McMaster mentioned, as paramedics are not thought of within the “circle of care” as soon as a affected person enters the emergency division.

“We usually never find out what happens to our patients whether it’s a good outcome or a bad outcome,” he mentioned. “Knowing today that the outcome that Frank had is really nice to see,” he mentioned.

“This is actually one of the first times I’ve had one of these reunions, so it was surreal to see how well he’s doing. He’s walking, talking, getting around,” he mentioned.

McMaster mentioned though Whiteley got here out of cardiac arrest, largely due to the immediate response time from these close by, the chances of survival in most associated situations are low.

He mentioned these odds may very well be elevated by extra individuals familiarizing themselves with the method of conducting efficient CPR, as this explicit response is an instance of what that final result might seem like.

“This was a situation where the chain of survival pretty much went textbook perfectly,” he added.

Renee Craig, the medical communications officer who answered the 911 name and guided the bystanders all through their CPR course of, mentioned it was nice to be gathered amongst everybody concerned at this time because it reminded her “why you started doing the job in the first place”.

“Once we hang up that phone, we’re just right onto the next one and that’s all we get,” she mentioned, noting her position as an emergency name operator doesn’t sometimes present her with the outcomes of the calls she receives.

“It’s definitely something we don’t get to see often … it’s great to be part of something that’s such a positive outcome.”

Craig mentioned her position is to offer callers with comprehendible instructions so that folks with out formal first-aid coaching are nonetheless able to performing life-saving procedures. She mentioned the primary responding bystander was capable of react shortly when directions got.

“She put me on speakerphone and anyone that was on scene was able to help and it was a team effort from everyone that was there,” she mentioned.

As for Whiteley, he mentioned he’s wanting ahead to returning to work and getting again to his regular routine as soon as he completes his restoration.

“I have a new lease on life and that’s a good thing,” he mentioned.

— With recordsdata from Vanessa Wright