SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – When a man collapsed at his apartment gym in August, a group effort saved his life.
The very first person to help was his own fiancé, who firefighters say gave the 30-year-old hands-only CPR until they could get there.
Rescue crews say without her; he might not have survived.
“We just went to the gym for a normal, you know, routine exercise,’ Shelby Rivera said. “He decided to have his slow down on the StairMaster. I had maybe two more minutes left on the treadmill, and you know, fast forward, he had a heart attack.”
Rivera’s fiancé, 30-year-old Tyler Blankenship, had gone into cardiac arrest.
“I was able to call first responders,’ said Rivera. “I did start CPR, per instructed by the 911 operator.”
Rivera said she felt sheer panic, but the calm voice on the line guided her through.
“I was helping her keep rhythm,” said Emily Hendrix, a 911 dispatcher with the Seminole County Fire Department. “You can tell when they’re trying their hardest. I think that’s what I remember the most.”
Hendrix instructed Rivera where to place her hands on Blankenship’s chest and even counted with her over the phone.
“We’re going to do this until help can take over,’ Hendrix can be heard saying in the 911 audio. “I need you to count out loud so I can count with you, ok?”
Rivera recalled what she remembered in the moment.
“I know that they told me to just remain calm and the pulses,” said Rivera.
“CPR is exhausting, and after a minute or two all you want to do is stop because your body is so tired,” Hendrix added. “So, what I ty to do is encourage that they keep going because it’s really important that they keep going until the advanced life saving measures get there and can take over.”
When a crew from Station 27 arrived, Blakenship was unresponsive.
“He was pulseless,” said firefighter and paramedic Manuel Coello. “We immediately shocked the patient. We got a tube, and then we transported the patient right away.
Coello said the link between the first person who starts CPR, first responders, and then medical professionals at a nearby hospital is critical in situations like this.
“In order to get the patient, the best, best treatment you just have to act on it as fast as you can,” said Coello.
Blankenship was rushed to Oviedo Medical Center where he spent four days in a coma and then was released from the hospital 10 days after he collapsed, according to the Seminole County Fire Department.
On Friday, his fiancé and the team who saved his life were awarded for their heroic actions.
“In dispatch we don’t typically see the end of calls,” said Hendrix. “So, seeing that he’s ok and made a full recovery is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever felt.”
Rivera and Blankenship both said they are just so thankful.
“I do want to start taking CPR classes and get certified,” said Rivera. “I want to put out there it’s extremely important to just jump straight into action and how serious it is to know CPR.”
The couple met while working at the same restaurant and will celebrate nine years together this March.
Rivera tells News 6 they don’t have a wedding date just yet, but that this experience has given the day new meaning.
“It definitely changed my vows,” said Rivera. “In sickness and in health does not start at the altar, and it does not start after I do. It starts right away.”
The Seminole County Fire Department says performing hands-only CPR before first responders arrive can double or triple someone’s chances of survival. SCFD offers CPR & AED training for free through Save-A-Life Seminole. To sign up for a class, click here.