Middlebury resident thanks first responders for saving her life

Middlebury resident thanks first responders for saving her life

Middlebury resident Christine Elven is alive and well three-and-a-half weeks after going into full cardiac arrest in the backseat of a car that had just gotten off Interstate 84 at Exit 15.

Statistically, a person with no pulse out in the field has about a 5% chance of survival, doctors say. In this case, however, a “chain of survival” system that involved more than a dozen first responders helped revive Elven and she has made a full recovery.

Elven, 58, and her husband, Jeff, visited Southbury Ambulance Association headquarters Wednesday to thank police officers, EMTs, medics and 911 dispatchers.

“It is my privilege to meet each of you to express my deepest, heartfelt gratitude for your dedicated efforts in saving my life as you responded to my medical emergency,” Elven said. “Each morning when I wake, I am thankful for another day of life because of your efforts.”

It was about 5 p.m. on Nov. 24 when 911 dispatchers were notified of a woman in her 50s experiencing an apparent heart attack while a passenger inside a car driven by Southbury resident Garrett Demmerle. The 911 dispatcher, Denise Canale, immediately informed police Demmerle was driving Elven directly to Southbury Police Department.

Once there, Elven, unresponsive and with little or no pulse, was met by five officers: Vincent DeSanto, Kareem El-Ayoub, Kimberly Hannigan, Deondre Pierce and Richard Volpe. They began performing CPR while also delivering four electric shocks using an AED device. El-Ayoub’s presence was of particular significance as a certified paramedic, one of just a handful of Connecticut police officers with that level of medical training.

El-Ayoub recognized the severity of the situation, and said he and his fellow officers simply relied on their life-saving training to successfully resuscitate the woman.

Southbury Ambulance EMTs Bryce Busset and Anna Czerkiewicz responded moments later, as did paramedics from Hatzalah Ambulance of Waterbury, which provided mutual aid.

Elven was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, where doctors continued treatment, ultimately leading to her full recovery.

Dr. Wesley Kyle of Trinity Health Care of New England at Saint Mary’s said Elven experienced a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a life-threatening condition that occurs when a tear forms in a heart artery wall, causing blood to build up and block or reduce blood flow to the heart. Kyle called her survival nothing short of a miracle.

“Only in about 5% of cases are we able to turn the pulse back, but of that 5%, only about 2% walk out of the hospital,” he said.

Southbury Ambulance President Geralyn Hoyt said the “stars were aligned” that day.

“Each and every person played a part in this outcome,” Hoyt said.

Kyle noted the quick actions of the Southbury police officers made all the difference.

“The critical moment was having the police in the parking lot delivering high-level CPR when it was needed most,” he said.

Elven, who is now equipped with a pacemaker and defibrillator implanted in her chest, does not remember anything from that fateful day but said she is filled with joy this holiday season.

“These people are my heroes,” she said. “They saved my life.”