From Victim to Survivor: How One Man Said Thank You to Local Heroes

AUSTIN, Texas - Sept. 29, 2016 - PRLog -- Would you know how to a save a colleague, friend or relative showing signs of severe cardiac distress, like a major heart attack? Bystanders took quick action when Formaspace's Loddie Alspach was incapacitated during a strenuous bike ride. Be prepared to help — you and your co-workers can take CPR training and help save a life.

Today May Not Be Like Any Other Day.
Monday, May 2, 2016, started out like any other day in Austin.

As early Texas spring turned into summer, the temperature that day touched 80° in the heat of the afternoon. But as the day wore on towards evening, it began to cool off — a perfect time for a bike ride.

That's what our Formaspace colleague, Loddie Alspach, was doing that evening — taking a recreational bike ride down Main Street in Round Rock, Texas — the home of Dell Computer and dozens of other tech companies just north of Austin.

But instead of a getting a pleasant adrenalin rush from his regular bike ride, Loddie found himself feeling rather strange — something wasn't right. He pulled over to the side and rested for a bit on the grass.

After riding a bit further, Loddie pulled over once more, laying down this time, on the grass median. Something was definitely wrong. He felt a tightness in his chest that shouldn't be there.

He tried calling his wife, but when she asked where she could come find him, Loddie couldn't quite make sense of where he was… then he became incoherent on the phone.

Not good. Not good at all.

Do Good Samaritans Still Exist? Fortunately, on This Fateful Day, the Answer was Yes.
As Loddie lay on his side, disoriented in the grass, not one but three good Samaritans came to assist.

The first was a woman who stopped her car and asked him if she should call 911 for an ambulance? "Yes please!" he responded.

Not long after, a man pulled up and offered Loddie a couple of chewable aspirin and some Gatorade to drink.

Then, another woman got out of her vehicle and came to Loddie's side — offering to wait by his side until the Fire and Rescue team from Round Rock Station 2 arrived — which they did about five minutes later.

Quick Response by Round Rock Station 2 Fire and Rescue Team and Williamson County EMS
As soon as Round Rock Station 2 Fire and Rescue arrived, they hooked up Loddie to a sophisticated heart monitor and soon determined he was experiencing a major cardiac event.

The first responder firefighter apologized for having to cut holes in his bike riding shirt — no worries there — and soon had Loddie hooked up with intravenous lines pumping fluids into each of his wrists.

Next, the Williamson County EMS ambulance arrived. Working quickly, they loaded Loddie — now bundled onto a gurney — into their ambulance and took off.

En route, the emergency responders repeatedly applied defibrillator shocks to Loddie's chest as they raced to the Round Rock Medical Center ER.

CPR Training: Like the Boy Scouts' Motto Says, You Always Need to "Be Prepared."
Taking a cue from Loddie, each of the Formaspace employees are getting involved in CPR training.

The principles and goals of the Take 10 program are very straightforward — it's a practical way for ordinary citizens to take a ten-minute class that teaches you the three most critical things to do in a cardiac emergency:

• Check
Check for signs of life (responsiveness or normal breathing)
• Call
Call 911
• Compress
Give chest compressions hard and fast in the center of the chest when a teen or adult in found in sudden cardiac arrest. Don't stop until the ambulance arrives.

Read more...https://formaspace.com/articles/health-care/formaspace-ma...