Cardiac arrest survivor shares story at 7th annual survivor ceremony
The seventh annual Cardiac Arrest Survivor Ceremony was held by Greenville County Emergency Medical Services on Wednesday at the Greenville Convention Center.

The ceremony honored the efforts of dozens of men and women across several Upstate EMS departments, who provide nationally recognized cardiac arrest care.

Tom Blackwell, Greenville County Emergency Medical Services Executive Director, said the county's cardiac arrest care ranks first or second in the nation, as of Thursday.

The ceremony also provided an additional opportunity for first responders to be reunited with their patients.

"We responded to over 80,000 calls [in 2021], and of those we had about 571 cardiac arrests," Blackwell said. "The number of survivors that we got in the field, that we transported to the hospital was 270. Our survival was between 22-38%, of those that actually walked out of the hospital neurologically intact. Nationally that's about a 5% survival."

Carey Hudson is among the 571 cardiac arrests. She said hers took place on December 26, 2021.

"I was just cleaning up after Christmas and getting ready for the next day, and went to bed," Hudson said. "Apparently around 2 a.m. he [husband David] woke up to me gasping for air and I had no pulse. The next thing I remember was day eight in the hospital.”

After noticing something was wrong, David Hudson ran upstairs to notify his three sons.

Hudson's three sons just so happened to be home from college. One of her sons recently graduated from The Citadel, where he took a CPR course.

"The fact that I woke up, the fact that our sons were there which they don’t live in our home anymore, 51 weeks out of the year, and the fact that EMS got there so quickly, it was a miracle,” David Hudson said. “They [EMS] kept us informed exactly where they were, how close they were to the home, how to have the home ready, Lights on, door open and all of that saved precious time.”

Their son who took the CPR course was able to begin chest compressions before first responders arrived. He was guided by a 911 dispatcher before EMS arrived.

"Every minute in delay after your heart stops, your survival potential goes down by 10%,” Blackwell said.

Carey spent seven days in the intensive care unit, and two days in cardiac recovery, according to her husband David.

With a second chance at life, Carey encourages everyone to take a basic CPR course, as it could be the difference between saving someone's life or potentially dying.

"I have a new best friend," Carey said. "It’s an ICD and I named her Gracie. She’s right here [pointing at her heart], because by the grace of God here I am.”

Carey said one of the most important things to remember is the power of prayer. She said that is what has brought her to the stage of recovery she has reached.