Survivor, family organizes series of CPR classes
Four CPR classes Saturday in the Nixon-Sarver classroom at Butler Memorial Hospital and four more slated to take place Feb. 25 came about because of the gratitude of a woman and her family who benefited from the life-saving technique.
The classes in the “Saturday CPR Blitz” were created and paid for by Victoria Williams, of Chicora, and her in-laws, Dave and Jodi WIliiams.
Victoria Williams, a nurse in Butler Memorial Hospital’s ambulatory medical department, knows firsthand the importance of knowing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in case of an emergency.
On New Year’s Eve 2020 while shopping in Butler’s Target store with her 11-month-old daughter, Williams said, “I collapsed and went into sudden cardiac arrest.”
Fortunately, two nurses who were shopping nearby came to her aid and administered CPR until emergency services could arrive.
“I don’t have any memory of that day,” she said. “My understanding there was a nurse approaching when she heard me fall. Thank God those two initiated CPR.”
William said she woke up in the intensive care unit at Butler Memorial Hospital and spent a week hospitalized. She said she is returning to work Monday, Feb. 13.
Williams said although she had a cardiac ablation at age 14 for a rapid heartbeat there was no indication she would suffer a sudden cardiac arrest.
Williams said she and her family wanted to set up the classes to give others the tools to help someone in a similar emergency.
She said, “After having this experience, the importance of CPR hits home. For someone so young and raising a family, being in the right place at the right time and being surrounded by people who can jump in to help quickly, we realized it was so important to get people educated.”
For the 24 participants in each of the four classes, the 90-minute sessions were devoted about how to perform CPR on adults, children and infants using CPR dummies, how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) as well as learning what to do if an adult, child or infant is choking.
Sarah Tusing, a paramedic in the hospital’s education department who was leading the class, said, “ I still work as a medic. If we pull up and there is not bystander CPR, there’s very little chance of survival.
“Good, high-quality CPR is the most important thing in cardiac arrests,” she said.
She praised the students in Saturday’s sessions saying they were doing great on practicing on the adult, child and baby CPR dummies and asking good questions. She said she was very pleased with the class turnout noting there were only a few open spaces available in the classes set Feb. 25.
“CPR is easy to learn,” she said, “but like anything it takes practice to master.”
She noted the hospital hosts monthly CPR classes. To check times and availability of classes, she said visit education@butlerhealthsystem.org or call 724-284-4232.
One of the students, Marie Yingling of Butler, said, “I brought a friend. I’m a retired nurse. I hadn’t taken a class in a long time. We babysit, so it’s a good thing to get a refresher.”
Another student, Connie Dittmer of Butler said she thought it was a good idea to take the course because she and her fellow members of the ladies guild at Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church prepare many funeral lunches.
“There’s a lot of elderly people. I know we have an AED,” Dittmer said.
