ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blog

June 1-7, 2017 is National CPR and AED Awareness Week, and the perfect opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks to our instructors, training centers and emergency care students.

We think the best way to highlight the important work done by our ASHI and MEDIC First Aid instructors is to share their stories about how training can make a life or death difference. MEDIC First Aid instructor Karen Bert of King County, WA Training Center taught an emergency care class in November 2016, attended by Marc Anderson, Transit Risk Program Manager for Metro Transit in Seattle. Just last month, Marc had an opportunity to put his own knowledge to the test.

A grateful son and daughter, Nat Smith and Sasha Mangahas, report that on April 6, 2017:

“Our father, Christopher Smith, went into cardiac arrest in front of the Starbucks on Ambaum and 148th Street in Burien, WA. Several bystanders rushed to his aide and comforted my mother. Three of note were a Starbucks Manager, an airline pilot and Marc Anderson, Transit Risk Program Manager for Metro Transit.

They assisted by contacting emergency services, monitoring our father’s vital signs and performing CPR. Medics arrived within five minutes and were able to resuscitate our father and he was rushed to Highline Hospital.

Highline staff told us that evening that dad had a 40% chance of survival and a 20% chance of leaving the hospital without significant mental or physical damage. They also related that the only positive in his bleak prognosis was that bystanders reacted immediately by calling emergency services and starting CPR. According to the doctors, the actions of those bystanders increased dad’s chances dramatically.

Dad was released from the hospital on April 19 and is now recovering at home. He shows no sign of mental or physical damage. It appears that he is one of the lucky 20%.

Words really cannot express how grateful our family is for the swift action of strangers. Were it not for these people knowing what to do and their immediate response, our dad would have died.”

Thanks to the heroes who made this such a success story and for all your efforts in making our workplaces and communities safer.

For our instructors: We know that, for all of you, every week is CPR and AED awareness week. If you have rescue stories you would like to share with us, please click the link below to fill out our nomination form. We’ll send you a Good Samaritan certificate you can pass along to your student(s).