ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blog

Three cheers for Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber for coming to the aid of an unconscious woman on a Portland street on Monday, May 5.

According to a story in the Oregonian, the governor was en route to dinner and asked his driver to stop when he saw the woman lying on the side of the road.

Aside from being governor, Kitzhaber is also a former emergency room doctor and has used his medical knowledge more than once while in office.

The scene played out in the classic combination of contacting 911, performing CPR until help arrives, and then using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to give someone that second chance.

Gov. Kitzhaber is one of a number of governors who have stepped up to assist in an emergency. Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saved a drowning man at a Maui resort in 2004, while former governor and president Ronald Reagan saved more than 70 people during his teen years as a summer lifeguard. Mike Huckabee, once Arkansas’s governor, came to the aid of another politician when that gentleman was choking at a luncheon. Huckabee was able to dislodge to obstruction with some abdominal thrusts.

Thank you to all these heroes for taking the time out of their incredibly busy schedules to come to the aid of a citizen in need. They are an inspiration to us all.