CPR training saves life

by Kevin Lilly
Pharos-Tribune news editor

December 03, 2008 10:27 am

— On a winter day she cannot recall because of the trauma her body endured, Linda Brady nearly lost her life.
From the accounts of those who witnessed her suffer a heart attack, the 51-year-old Logansport resident would have died if not for the quick response of her Federal-Mogul co-workers. Brady thanked two in particular, supervisors Scott Berkshire and Brett Stines.
“When I had my heart attack, they said I actually died,” Brady said of her physicians. “If it wasn’t for what those guys did, I wouldn’t be around. I am truly grateful to both of them.”
On Jan. 31, a workday that began like most others in her 18 years at the fuel pump manufacturing facility, Brady collapsed on the restroom floor — unresponsive, not breathing and in cardiac arrest. Upon hearing the code blue call, Berkshire and Stines rushed in to begin reviving her.
For both supervisors, training overruled much thought about what was happening. Stines recalled that in a situation where each moment is vital he did not think about what to do, but just started doing what he had been taught.
“It just kind of took over,” Stines said of the training.
“Everything just started clicking,” Berkshire said. “Adrenaline took over and the training kicked in.”
Berkshire and Stines took the team-effort approach with one giving chest compressions while the other breathed for Brady. One employee called 9-1-1. Someone else retrieved the defibrillator. Berkshire and Stines administered one shock and then continued CPR until medics from Logansport Memorial Hospital arrived.
After Brady was taken to the hospital, thoughts of what had happened weighed heavy on the two supervisors. Both remained at work, but not without feeling the effects.
“Once the adrenaline rush stopped, we were both pretty shaken up for awhile,” Berkshire said.
The pair went to Berkshire’s office to regroup. He said it was difficult to get back to the day’s routine.
“We went back to as close to work as normal as we could,” Berkshire said. “We were glad when we finally got some word of how Linda was doing.”
Updates on Brady’s condition came from family members. She had regained a pulse and was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital that day.
It was the first time either Berkshire or Stines had administered emergency CPR.
“It was a pretty rough situation because when she left we weren’t sure,” Berkshire said. “All we knew was that once we shocked her, it didn’t call for another shock so we knew that she had at least got a rhythm back. We just continued CPR and rescue breathing until paramedics arrived.”
Looking back, Stines wondered, “How did we do that and maintain our composure? Practice is one thing on the mannequin and going through the training, but to actually see one of your co-workers lying on the floor unresponsive was pretty chilling.”
In a press release, company officials touted Brady as “living proof of the importance of the facility’s Red Cross CPR program, and of having an automated external defibrillator on the premises.”
Federal-Mogul provided Berkshire and Stines their training in emergency safety procedures.
From her experience, Brady is hoping to educate others. She has a message to women — go to a doctor on a regular basis. She said before Jan. 31 she did not suspect something as serious as a heart attack.
“If I would have known some of the symptoms I had prior to my heart attack, I would have made a trip to my doctor,” she said.
Brady remembered complaining in December of a stiff neck and bothersome shoulders.
“I thought maybe it was because of the work I did, and it was a strain on the muscles,” Brady said.
Brady’s job entails using a wooden hammer to free parts from the production line. She also rotates pallets.
“I really wasn’t aware that I had a problem,” Brady said.
The discomfort turned out to be symptoms foreshadowing a heart attack.
Another symptom she overlooked was all meat tasted like it had gone bad.
From her close encounter, Brady made modifications to her lifestyle. She liked to go on walks, but she now knows leisurely strolls are not enough. For a more effective workout, she lifts weights and does calisthenics as taught by physical therapists at Logansport Memorial Hospital.
The hospital discharged Brady Feb. 12 after open-heart surgery. She returned to work 87 days later. She says she has made a full recovery. She feels better than she did before the heart attack, she said, and she no longer has that constant tiredness.
“I feel a whole lot better since I went through that,” Brady said.
The day Brady returned to work, office staff held a celebration and invited her family and anyone who played a part in her rescue. Berkshire and Stines were honored with certificates of appreciation, and Steve Wagner, lab supervisor and CPR/AED trainer, was recognized for excellence in training.
“It was just good to see her come back,” Berkshire said. “It’s great to know we were there for her.”
Stines agreed.
“I’m very pleased that everything turned out and that Linda’s OK and back to work,” he said.
Brady offered thanks to her employer.
“I am so grateful that Federal-Mogul has people trained like those two are,” she said.
Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com

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