Locals to be honored for
heroism
By Jennifer L. Boen, FortWayne.com
May 13th, 2005
The American Heart Association planned to honor
today numerous Fort Wayne residents and others from
surrounding communities for helping to save lives.
The “Heart and Stroke Heroes” were to
be presented their awards at the Grand Wayne Convention
Center for performing CPR or using an automated external
defibrillator (AED) on a person in need.
•Cardiac arrest survivor James Walter of Kendallville
was to present his heart hero awards to Becky Parker
and Gordon Wells of the city of Kendallville Public
Safety Communications; Kendallville police officer
Shane Hollingsworth; and members of the Kendallville
Fire Department and Noble County EMS. Last month,
the Kendallville Public Safety Communications received
a 911 call to assist an unresponsive male. Within
three minutes, first-responders were on the scene,
and found Walter in full cardiac arrest. They shocked
Walter’s heart using an AED, and his heart began
beating again. Walter was taken to the hospital but
released just five days later and is doing well.
•New Haven Police officer Bill Browand was
to be honored for his response to a 911 call from
the New Haven Library several weeks ago. A woman had
collapsed at the library. She had no pulse and wasn't
breathing. Browand used an AED from his patrol car
to restart her heart.
•Fort Wayne Police officer F.J. Stuphin was
to be honored for quickly using the AED in his patrol
car to resuscitate Fred Pinkerton, who suffered sudden
cardiac arrest while driving in the Time Corners area
last year. Pinkerton’s car had left the road,
and first appeared to Stuphin to have been involved
in an accident. But Stuphin still thought to grab
his AED.
Others honorees were to include:
•Becky Chasey of Fort Wayne Rehabilitation
Hospital for her leadership of a stroke support group
there.
•Chris Brinneman, Lynn Wilton and Rae Gonterman
of Parkview Hospital’s Rehabilitation Department
for implementing a support group for stroke patients
and their families.
•Jane Needham of Fort Wayne Cardiology for
coordinating a home AED program that has trained more
than 400 caregivers in CPR and placed more than 200
AEDs in homes.
•Members of the Kendallville Fire Department
for training more than 500 students annually in CPR.
During ceremonies, the American Heart Association
also planned to announce donations of 30 new AEDs
to the Fort Wayne Police Department, Allen County
Sheriff’s Department and St. Joseph Township
Fire Department. |
