Posted by By KSNV Staff | March 23, 2021 on Apr 2nd 2021
Woman saves husband’s life with CPR days after recertification
Woman saves husband’s life with CPR days after recertification
By KSNV Staff | March 23, 2021 at 1:15 AM CDT - Updated March 23 at 1:17 AM
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) - A Las Vegas man is lucky to be alive after he suffered a heart attack. Doctors say it’s mainly thanks to the lifesaving steps taken by his wife, who had just gotten her CPR certification renewed.
Veronica Simon found her 37-year-old husband, Michael Simon, unresponsive in their garage last Monday night. Doctors say what she did in the 12 minutes before paramedics arrived saved his life.
“He was gasping for air, so I ran up, got my phone and called 911,” Veronica Simon said.
She also started CPR immediately, spending nine minutes performing chest compressions. She says it was almost out of reflex after completing a CPR recertification course only four days earlier.
Unlike previous years, Veronica Simon says this time, for some reason, she took her recertification seriously and paid attention.
“I was really into it for some reason. Any other time I get certified, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m getting it done.’ But this time I was really into it and practicing hard because I just felt like, ‘Maybe one day I’ll save a life.’ And I happened to save my husband’s,” she said.
Dr. Randy Bess, an emergency room physician at St. Rose Hospital-San Martin, says what Veronica Simon did was nothing short of astonishing.
“100%, I think what she did saved her husband’s life in this situation, and that’s a long time to be doing CPR. In the hospital, we rotate out every two minutes because you get so tired, so I’m impressed that she was able to do that,” he said.
Bess says she also significantly improved her husband’s chances at a full recovery.
“Time is tissue, and if we can provide any sort of support by doing CPR for any time before the paramedics are able to arrive, this definitely gives the patient, or family member in this case, the best chance of survival,” he said.
Michael Simon was able to leave the hospital Thursday. He is continuing to recover at home, and he calls his wife his hero.
“She has always been my hero,” he said. “We have been together for 19 years, so it’s been a long road for us. This was just one of those times where it really, at least in my opinion, brought us closer than ever before.”
Original Article link:
Woman saves husband’s life with CPR days after recertification (kplctv.com)