By Beverly Trujillo
It all started on July 4, 2009.
I am a volunteer firefighter, as well as an EMT, and my daughter was telling me that her father-in-law had not been feeling well for days.
One of his symptoms were heartburn and I told her to keep an eye on him as I knew his symptoms were of a possible heart attack.
His son was with him as he was holding a conversation with his dad when he went unresponsive. My son-in-law dialed 911 and the ambulance was dispatched. I was not on-duty at the time, but had a pager and radio on as we were headed to the fireworks display.
I was four blocks from his residence when the pager went off. My first reaction was he had a heart attack. When I arrived on scene, he was gray and had no pulse. Officers on scene stated he was gone, but I refused to believe it.
I ordered officers to get him on the floor to start chest compression. The officers and I did CPR until the ambulance arrived.
My co-workers arrived and the paramedic, myself and the other EMT worked and shocked and got a pulse. The two-man crew and myself (A-Team ) rushed the patient to the local hospital and called FFL helicopter to meet us at the hospital.
It was a very special day, fireworks at our hospital so doctors and trauma team were on scene. FFL landed and from start to flight lifting off was 1.5 hours. The teamwork of our ambulance, hospital, and law officers saved this man’s life with the quick response times.
He was taken to a hospital an hour away where surgery was performed. He had complete blockage, R ascending aorta and was not expected to pull through. With the luck of the hospital, on a holiday, the surgeon was available . Not only did he pull through, but he walked out of the hospital seven days later.
Was it luck? Or was it the TEAMWORK of our crew? I believe we made a difference in this family’s life and I see that difference every day I see him!