Local cardiac arrest survivor proves the power of a hero is in your hands

Local cardiac arrest survivor proves the power of a hero is in your hands
Most of us wait for a hero, but what if you could be the hero? A local man knows the value of that, after some coworkers helped save his life. You may recognize him from an interview we did in May, 2021. He is sharing his story once again to show you how hold the power to save someone, and it's right in your hands.

Larry Flottmeyer has had quite a year.

"Doing very well. Very well," Flottmeyer said.

He got married to his wife, Elizabeth, in June, 2021.

"We've been together for a long time," Flottmeyer said.

Nearly 30 years, in fact.

"You take things for granted beforehand," Flottmeyer said.

Not anymore. Perhaps Flottmeyer loves life more than ever because he nearly died.

"My cardiac arrest. That was a whole awakening," Flottmeyer said, when we first met him in 2021.

We introduced you to Flottmeyer last year, and told you how he survived sudden cardiac arrest that January. It happened at work. Co-workers called 911, and the operator walked them through doing hands-only CPR and how to defibrillate Flottmeyer's heart with an AED.

"It was just the right place at the right time," Flottmeyer said.

He made it to the hospital and is doing well. He's sharing his story again to show people they, too, can be lifesavers.

"There are life-saving minutes that happen before any of those first responders can really be a resource," Dr. Kacey Kronenfeld, EMS Medical Dir. for SSM Health, said.

Doing chest compressions and using an AED can be crucial when someone goes into cardiac arrest. According to SSM Health, every one minute of delay in care, survival chances decrease by 10 percent.

"Time is muscle," Kronenfeld said.

Dr. Kronenfeld says, if you see someone going through this, don't be afraid to step in; even if you don't know CPR.

"911 will support you. The call-taker will walk you through the chest compressions and you should not be concerned with injuries," Kronenfeld said.

Even the AED has recorded instructions to help you defibrillate someone's heart. Flottmeyer says he's grateful his co-workers did all of these steps.

"To be able to wake up and know there is a tomorrow, because it's not guaranteed," Flottmeyer said.

Larry Flottmeyer has put quite the year behind him,...but it's allowing him to appreciate each one ahead of him. Time he wants to give to others.

Brady: "Have you thought about how there must be a reason that it happened to you and you're here to tell your story?"

Flottmeyer: "I ask myself that all the time. Every day. You don't know if God had different plans for me, bigger and better things. I don't know. Hopefully I can pay it forward. Hopefully I can make a difference."

You can learn more about CPR by visiting the American Heart Association's website.