Son gives dad CPR at finish line of heart mini race, helps save his life

The cardiac chain of survival recently made a big difference for a local family who needed to save their own dad’s life. It started with a young woman who loves to run. Rocio Bauer has been an avid runner for years. Just a few weeks ago, the race she chose was just one part of an amazing story that helped save her father-in-law’s life. Bauer crossed the finish line in record time at the American Heart Association’s Heart Mini. “I saw my watch. I was like, okay, one hour and five minutes. One minute better than last year,” said Bauer.
But Bauer had no time to celebrate that record time. Her husband, Deuce Bauer, had been patiently waiting for her with the rest of their family. “Next thing I know, I hear a thud that I’ll never forget,” Deuce said. That thud was his dad, Rich. He’d collapsed due to cardiac arrest. Deuce immediately began CPR. "Before I knew it, somebody was cutting his shirt. A first responder was coming with an AED machine. They actually had to shock his heart back into rhythm,” Deuce said. That somebody was Dr. Dustin Calhoun. He’s part of UC Health’s event medicine team. “He reacted. He did exactly what you should do. He started hands-only CPR very, very quickly. That act alone doubles a patient’s chance for survival,” Dr. Calhoun said. Rich was transported to the hospital and did survive. "That shock to the heart is what put it back into rhythm. His heart then began beating on its own,” Dr. Calhoun said. Now, the Bauer family sees some incredible timing in all of this. "It’s a God thing because he was actually at the finish line of a Heart Mini marathon, and he goes into cardiac arrest,” Deuce said.
Those from the American Heart Association noticed the timing as well. “It’s because of CPR. It’s because of the research we’ve done and people actually implementing it that this man is alive,” said Alyson Poling, Executive Director of Greater Cincinnati’s American Heart Association.