Erlanger man’s life saved by “chain of survival” after sudden heart attack

A man in Erlanger was saved by the quick work of several first responders after he suffered a heart attack with no warning signs in August.

Phil Stevenson is an athletic trainer at All Star Performance Training, and he said prior to the incident, he had nothing to suggest he was unhealthy or at risk of a heart attack.

Stevenson collapsed suddenly while at work, and he didn’t wake up until three days later. He said that in the time between falling and waking up, his life was saved by a chain of people, starting with his coworker.

“My doctor said if he wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be here,” Stevenson said. “Plain and simple.”

His coworker gave CPR and called 911.

Erlanger Police Officer Craig Rose and his partner were on scene within minutes. Rose said Stevenson had turned blue, and he had no pulse.

Rose and his partner, Officer Hilton, took over chest compressions until Erlanger paramedics arrived.

Ryan Fogle, who was the lead paramedic, said his team took over from there.

They transported him to St. Elizabeth Healthcare, where staff were able to get him into stable condition.

“It’s called the chain of survival,” Fogle told FOX 19. “Basically, it’s early recognition that there’s a problem, early activation of the 911 system, that’s step one. Early CPR is step two. Early defibrillation, that’s step three. All of those things happening in a timely manner that’s ultimately what leads to a positive outcome.”

Phil said that today he feels fine, and his doctors at St. Elizabeth said he’ll feel even better after a surgery scheduled for next week.

He said none of that would be possible without an entire line of people doing the right things to get him back to his family.

“It was just like the stars aligned,” he said. “They really did that night. The stars aligned for me.”

Stevenson said he encourages everyone to learn CPR because you never know when someone might need saving.