Why You Should Learn CPR

I received the greatest gift in the world for my 40th birthday: the woman I married was alive.

Rhiannon and I have agreed to share this personal story for two primary reasons: one, to convince you to learn CPR, and two, so that you are never intimidated by an AED.

I was awoken just after 5 AM on April 10th to a distinct, loud, and ultimately unforgettable agonal breath from my wife. I have had the unfortunate experience of hearing these end-of-life markers in the field on EMS calls through my experience as a volunteer firefighter.?

It took me a few moments to orient as to what was actually happening, but as soon as I turned on the lamp next to her side of the bed and checked her airway, I knew. She was completely unresponsive, unconscious, and had 6-8 agonal breaths per minute. I couldn’t find a pulse.?

I began some form of convoluted one-handed CPR (i.e. incorrect) on the bed while calling 911 with the other hand. Proper two-handed and forceful CPR ensued, and the dispatcher reminded me to get her off of the bed and onto the floor.?

Between counting beats with the amazing dispatcher and the mental tempo of “Staying Alive,” I focused on and channeled my CPR training.?

I kept reminding myself that while she may not be breathing—I had more agonal end-of-life breaths throughout the 6-7 minutes of CPR I performed—the blood flow through her body as a result of the chest compressions was at least keeping her brain alive. At least that’s what I told myself to stay sane.?

Within minutes of being dispatched, fellow Lingohocken firefighter, certified CPR trainer, and current Buckingham Police Officer Tim Weber was at my door, AED in hand. No one better could have arrived.?

Within 30 seconds of getting upstairs to Rhiannon, he had both AED pads in place and the lifesaving machine began its work. From my experience with this scenario and the condition of Rhiannon at that time, I prayed for a shock to be advised by the AED.?

AED analyzing rhythm.?

Shock advised.?

All clear.?

Shock delivered.

More CPR ensued. Officers from Buckingham PD took over for me, and I stayed by her head while whispering to her to hold on.?

Just get us to the next analysis by the AED.

Just before the second analysis was completed, the first miracle occurred: a pulse was detected. Based on my experience with the AED, I prayed for the machine now NOT to advise a shock.?

AED analyzing rhythm.?

…

Shock not advised.?

Now I’m 2/2. We’ve got a pulse and a rhythm.?

The next 20 minutes were a blur. Incredible medics from Central Bucks EMS arrived and continued to administer lifesaving care. My fellow firefighters from Lingohocken supported the medics and my family. Buckingham PD monitored the boys, and Rhiannon’s mother, Diane, arrived immediately to take care of them. DC35 Ethan Tecker drove me right behind the ambulance to the ER at Doylestown Hospital.

Once we arrived at the hospital, the amazing ER team was ready, prepared, and ultimately shocked her again—twice—back into a sinus rhythm from a rapid A-fib. What was set into motion has been, frankly, an unbelievable chain of events of progress.?

She was alive.?

Rhiannon was ultimately put into a medically induced coma to let her body heal from the trauma of that morning. During one of her feisty periods—where they were trying to find the right balance of medications to induce the coma yet keep her vitals stable—she squeezed her sister’s hand twice on command.

That was huge for me. My biggest fear was that I missed 10 to 30 minutes of agonal breathing before I woke up. Put another way, while she was now technically alive, her brain didn’t have oxygen for too long and was either dying or dead.?

What version of Rhiannon would wake up?

I found a lead to help me begin to answer that question. Sleep Cycle. Bingo.?

The alarm app we both use by our bedside—which hilariously records my ever-persisting night terrors—had an audio recording from just three minutes before I woke up to her agonal breath (it also had the haunting audio of the ensuing events).?

The audio recording confirmed that she was snoring away only three minutes before I awoke. And by snoring, I mean the type of snoring that is normal for her when she is in deep sleep. Thus, she had been breathing normally just three minutes before I woke up.?

Maybe I had caught the first agonal breath! Much more hope now.?

Wednesday concluded with joy for her being alive, and cautious optimism that the worst case may be off the table.?

Thursday brought extubation off of the ventilator and the conclusion of her induced coma. Now, she had the ability to speak, albeit faintly and with tremendous pain.?

She immediately asked for her boys, where she was, and how she got there. She knew who I was. She remembered her birthday, the boys’ names, and where we recently went on vacation. This gave me more hope. It was simply amazing for less than 32 hours from time zero.?

Friday was another big step forward: she was able to eat two solid meals. She made three separate trips around the ICU with a really cool stand-up scooter that my brother Kevin may or may not have played on. Unbelievable.?

Rhiannon called Kevin “incognito” because of two weeks of facial hair growth. The gluten-free toast was “terrible,” in only the way she can say it. She worried about the book fair.?

Personality?

Yes.?

More hope?

Absolutely.?

Saturday brought more milestones. She improved her short-term memory (her medium and long-term memory miraculously were present from the start) and made two trips—unassisted—including one down to the family waiting area, where she saw and talked with our boys Rhys and Regan for the first time via FaceTime.?

And that’s where—a 150-yard walk from her room after a FaceTime call with her boys—my favorite picture of all time, attached to this post, was taken. A cherished birthday memory—the best birthday gift of all time—was memorialized.?

We are at the point where our gains will be measured in inches, rather than yards. As she miraculously returned to full consciousness, she unfortunately became more acutely and physically aware of the pain associated with her trauma.?

She has four issues all centered on her chest: about a dozen minutes of forceful CPR, pneumonia from the CPR, burns from the AED pads and the three shocks, and, of course (as only she can say it), an allergic reaction to the adhesives that were used.?

Today, she is recovering from a procedure that installed a defibrillator/pacemaker under her left clavicle and above her now beating heart. This device is like a permanent AED, continuously monitoring her heart rhythms, standing by and ready to give her heart the nudge it needs to stay in rhythm.?

This device will give us peace of mind—peace of mind that the random electrical event that short-circuited her heart into stopping cannot happen again.?

The final verdict?

Sudden cardiac arrest that sent her into a fatal ventricular arrhythmia.

The CPR kept her brain alive and the rapid deployment of an AED brought her back to life.?

The moral of this story and why we decided to share it??

Learn CPR.?

Don’t be afraid of an AED.?

CPR is a lifesaving technique that can change the outcome. Using an AED is not intimidating; open the lid and listen to the directions.?

Take a CPR class. You will learn how to provide CPR to infants, children, and adults. You will also learn how to deploy an AED like my man Tim Weber and what signs to look for when CPR is needed.?

Look at this link (https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/cpr-training). Consider signing up for in-person training or, at a minimum, the online-only safety class.?

Please.

Shawn

P.S. Thank you to the incredible staff at Doylestown Hospital, Buckingham Police, Central Bucks EMS, Bucks 911 Dispatch, my family, Lingohocken FD, my incredible team at Forensic Rock, BVE, BFS, our friends, our neighbors, and all those I have forgotten. To her mother Diane and father Ron, thank you! And to my parents Fran and Laura, my sister Caitlyn (thanks for tagging in and taking the night shifts and deploying your OT skills!!), Brett, Ryan, and Kevin, thank you for all of your love and direct support.?

Rhys and Regan - Mommy is coming home soon. We promise.?

P.P.S. The Final Timeline, as best I can reconstruct it (it’s what I do, all of this analysis and composition has brought me peace and allowed me to work through this event).?

For my recon friends, you can download an AED for data like an EDR.?

0506: Rhiannon snoring and breathing properly;

0509: I wake up to her agonal breath and come to, nudging her to wake up as I get my bearings;

0510: My assessment and realization of what is happening;

0511: 911 and CPR begin;

0512: Buckingham PD dispatched;

0517: Tim Weber on scene - CPR stopped to let him in;

0518: AED in place - within 20 seconds of pads on a shock was delivered;

0520: Pulse detected;

0521: Shock not advised. She’s alive.?