Woman survives cardiac arrest thanks to CPR
By Scott Bellile
A trio of parents were recognized for saving the life of a grandmother whose heart stopped during a Hortonville High School band trip.
At a ceremony during the HHS band concert May 6, where Gold Cross Ambulance Executive Director Mark Frederickson honored Michelle Medvecz, Tom Veeser and Jennifer Hohn, Fredrickson stressed the importance of quality CPR.
“I tell you, that’s really a life-saver,” Fredrickson said. “There’s 3 million people worldwide that die every year from cardiac arrest. In the United States here, about one in four people have a small chance of surviving. And that’s not a very big number.”
Medvecz’s mother, Linda Leith of Appleton, collapsed and became unresponsive during a hot uphill walk at Arlington National Cemetery in the District of Columbia on July 3, 2018.
“When Linda went into cardiac arrest, there were three people that actually jumped into the scene that did something about it,” Fredrickson said. “That’s what’s very important … (is) don’t be afraid to act (or) be afraid to get in there and do that.”
All three award recipients downplayed the honor, with Veeser saying the takeaway is people should take a class and get trained in CPR.
Greg Forton, HHS band director, said it is amazing to know the chaperones on band trips are well-rounded and able to respond to an emergency.
On the trip, Veeser, a chief nursing officer, performed chest compressions on Leith. Medvecz, a nurse practitioner, did the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Hohn dialed 911 and remained on the line with the dispatcher.
“I don’t think I’ll forget what happened that day,” Hohn said.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Medvecz
The trio of rescuers, all Greenville residents who were on the trip to watch their daughters perform with the band, described the series of events to the Press Star.
Hohn said the heat index was 116 degrees Fahrenheit as the tour group scaled a hill to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Hohn’s husband asked Leith if she was OK. She responded she was fine.
“We literally turned out backs, and that’s when I heard Michelle scream,” Hohn said.
Medvecz said she too confirmed her mother was OK before running ahead to take a few pictures, turning around and witnessing Leith fall face-first into the dirt.
“I hollered and ran back to her and flipped her over and knew that she was in trouble and yelled for help,” Medvecz said. “And (Hohn) came and Tom showed up like that. I mean it was very fast.”
Medvecz and Veeser got straight into CPR while Hohn kept away from the scene Medvecz’s daughter Shannon, a recent graduate and member of the band’s color guard.
Hohn understood the trauma of watching a family member experience a cardiac incident having watched her mother suffer a “massive” heart attack when she was 9 years old.
“There’s a lot of visual and a lot of sound,” Medvecz said in describing cardiac arrest. “Even though the person’s unconscious, there’s still a lot of sound … and it sticks in a kid’s memory.”
The hardest part of rescuing Leith was Arlington National Cemetery did not have an automated external defibrillator available, Hohn said.
Adding to the anxiety, first responders arrived to the cemetery but turned a different direction. Hohn thought the paramedics went the wrong way when actually they were responding to an unrelated fire alarm in the barracks.
Veeser said they went through four cycles of CPR with Leith before her pulse returned, six minutes after she collapsed. That was when paramedics arrived and defibrillated her at last.
“She woke up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital feisty,” Veeser said. “That’s a good sign.”
Leith, remembering none of the incident, recovered at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.
“I had 10 broken ribs,” Leith said. “Yeah, that wasn’t fun. No, no. I felt miserable, actually, but … I was just grateful to be alive.”
Leith is not letting her brush with death stop her from doing what she loves. She took a cruise – which had to be evacuated by helicopter in Denmark – and this month she traveled to England.
“I’m feeling just great,” Leith said.