Perth couple express heart-felt thanks
Posted Mar 11, 2010 By Chris Must
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Tweet ThisEMC News - Quick thinking by two staff members at a Tim Hortons restaurant has been credited with saving the life of a Perth man who recently suffered a cardiac arrest.
Art Morris is recovering at home following 10 days in hospital after he collapsed at the Highway 7 Tim Hortons. Two staff, Sandra Herns and Mary Ann Bedour, performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for several critical minutes until ambulance attendants arrived and took over.
Wife Alma Morris told the EMC this week "There are no words that can express our feeling of thanks for what they did for stepping up to the plate as quickly as they did.
"There's just nothing that can repay that - nothing."
Art, who now has a pacemaker/defibrillator following surgery at Kingston General Hospital, said his afternoon trip to Tim Hortons Sunday, Feb. 21 was a daily ritual. He arrived about 2 p.m., got his coffee and sat down to chat with a group of regulars. After a while, one friend wondered why Art was leaning on him. "They told me that they thought I was leaning as if I was going to pick something off the floor, and I don't remember another thing," he said.
At the couple's home just south of Perth, Alma was getting ready for a shift as a supervisor at Lanark Lodge. "The phone rang about quarter after two and I thought maybe it was just friends calling for a visit, and I was rushing to get ready," she recalled. Fortunately, Alma decided to answer, and was told Art had fainted and was being taken to the Perth site of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital. Arriving at the hospital, Alma noticed there was a Perth Police vehicle there but didn't realize "it was me they were waiting for."
Alma sat in the emergency waiting room for a very short time before being told to go in. Two police officers stepped up and took her to a small doctor's lounge to talk. After many years of experience as a registered nurse, Art's wife knew this wasn't normal procedure and that the news wasn't going to be good. "I'm starting to realize this is not just a fainting spell," she said. An officer asked: "How much do you want to hear?" Told to go ahead and spell it out, the officer told Alma that Art had suffered cardiac arrest. With her medical background, Alma said, "I didn't really think Art was going to make it."
The police told Alma two Tim Hortons staff members had started CPR right away. "When the ambulance staff arrived they made the comment that without that quick action, their efforts might not have been as successful," said Alma. "We are very thankful."
Alma said her knowledge of Art's chances of survival, based on her professional experience, made the whole experience more terrifying if anything. "I was just like jelly," she said. Doctors in both Perth and Kingston said Art's survival, and relatively rapid recovery, were "a miracle."
Art, a Balderson native who has lived in Perth for 38 years, spent most of his career as a self-employed carpenter, who built both his own home and the one next door. He had open heart surgery - a triple by-pass - a couple of years ago, and was continuing to experience cardiac arrythmia.
'Tears in our eyes'
Last Monday Alma, along with her daughter, son, daughter-in-law and sister, went to the restaurant to thank the staff for helping to save Art.
"There were tears in our eyes, of course," she said. "They weren't looking for pay, they weren't looking for words of praise or anything. The two staff members said thanks wasn't necessary," said Alma, "but my daughter piped up and said, "Yes, it is.""
Alma said the experience has convinced her that everyone who is old enough should learn CPR. In an emergency, she said, if there are two people present to help, one should call 9-1-1 while the other starts CPR right away. This emergency procedure, although it rarely restarts the heart, maintains a flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and the heart, which are the two organs most vulnerable to damage from oxygen deprivation. CPR extends a brief window of opportunity for a successful resuscitation without permanent brain damage.
According to information from the American Heart Association, studies have shown that only five to 10 per cent of people who receive CPR actually survive. It has also been shown that immediate CPR within three to five minutes of sudden cardiac arrest, followed by defibrillation, greatly improves the chances of survival.
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been placed in a number of public buildings in Lanark County, including the Perth Town Hall. These defibrillators, which can shock the heart to make it start beating again, come with pre-recorded instructions on how to use them.
"If you can save one person out of a thousand, isn't it worth it?" said Alma.
The Morrises also said it is important to be aware of a loved one's wishes when it comes to questions of resuscitation and life support.
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