A Halifax man who was resuscitated by a group of strangers while suffering from cardiac arrest last month finally received an opportunity on Saturday to thank both the first responders and bystanders who saved his life.
59-year-old Frank Whiteley was walking to work when he went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive on a Quinpool Road bench.
An onlooker immediately called 911 and began performing CPR before another woman joined to assist.
“I’m just glad to be alive,” said Whiteley, who was revived twice before arriving at the Dartmouth General Hospital, where he spent two days on life support.
“Normally, I have a routine. I go on the bus, get off, go to Tims, start walking down the street … I must’ve got tired and sat down,” he said, as he tried to recall the day’s events, admittedly mentioning that he doesn’t remember much.
Whiteley’s granddaughter was responsible for organizing Saturday’s reunion with those involved. He said the gathering was “quite emotional” for him.
“I thought it was going to be a quiet little thing,” he laughed, saying he was grateful to finally be able to thank the individuals who assisted in getting him the care he required at the time.
“He was not ready to go”
Melissa Savoie, a healthcare worker from New Brunswick, was returning from taking her great nephew to an appointment in the city when she saw Whiteley laying unresponsive on a bench.
“I could see there was a woman, on the phone, and she looked like she needed some help,” she said, as she was the second bystander to respond to the incident. “911 that was on the phone told us to start compression … and we were able to bring a pulse back.”
Following Whiteley’s transportation to the hospital, Savoie said she searched online to see if there was any information regarding his status.
“We did try to call the hospital and they couldn’t say anything due to confidentiality,” she said, adding that the day after she was informed of the news that her role helped resuscitate Whiteley back to health.
Savoie said she was grateful to “finally” get to speak with Whiteley during Saturday morning’s reunion at an Emergency Health Services paramedic base in Dartmouth.
“I was waiting for this day,” she said.
Savoie said if she hadn’t decided to grab something to eat from McDonald’s before commuting back to New Brunswick, she wouldn’t have been in the area at the time of Whiteley’s cardiac arrest.
“I believe that I was meant to be there … he was not ready to go,” she said. “I could see he was unresponsive and having a heart attack, we’re trained to know what the signs are of a heart attack, so you don’t think, you just go into it.”
“It’s just important to have CPR. I think everyone should learn to do it and when somebody needs you, you need to act upon it,” Savoie said. “It could be my family member. It could be anybody. It doesn’t matter, you just have to do it.”
The perfect ‘chain of survival’
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Paramedic James McMaster said the incident, which occurred on the afternoon of June 6, was an example of an effective “chain of survival” that starts with “the bystander’s early recognition of cardiac arrest and then activation of the emergency system,” he said.
He said following the paramedic’s arrival, they placed defibrillation pads onto Whiteley and received a shock “right away”, before placing him into an ambulance and administering cardiac arrest drugs as they monitored his condition.
Reuniting with a former patient following their admission to the hospital is unusual for most first responders, McMaster said, as paramedics are no longer considered in the “circle of care” once a patient enters the emergency department.
“We usually never find out what happens to our patients whether it’s a good outcome or a bad outcome,” he said. “Knowing today that the outcome that Frank had is really nice to see,” he said.
“This is actually one of the first times I’ve had one of these reunions, so it was surreal to see how well he’s doing. He’s walking, talking, getting around,” he said.
McMaster said although Whiteley came out of cardiac arrest, largely thanks to the prompt response time from those nearby, the odds of survival in most related scenarios are low.
He said these odds could be increased by more people familiarizing themselves with the process of conducting effective CPR, as this particular response is an example of what that outcome could look like.
“This was a situation where the chain of survival pretty much went textbook perfectly,” he added.
Renee Craig, the medical communications officer who answered the 911 call and guided the bystanders throughout their CPR process, said it was great to be gathered amongst everyone involved today as it reminded her “why you started doing the job in the first place”.
“Once we hang up that phone, we’re just right onto the next one and that’s all we get,” she said, noting her role as an emergency call operator doesn’t typically provide her with the results of the calls she receives.
“It’s definitely something we don’t get to see often … it’s great to be part of something that’s such a positive outcome.”
Craig said her role is to provide callers with comprehendible directions so that people without formal first-aid training are still capable of performing life-saving procedures. She said the first responding bystander was able to react quickly when instructions were given.
“She put me on speakerphone and anyone that was on scene was able to help and it was a team effort from everyone that was there,” she said.
As for Whiteley, he said he’s looking forward to returning to work and getting back to his normal routine once he completes his recovery.
“I have a new lease on life and that’s a good thing,” he said.
— With files from Vanessa Wright
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