Man’s life lesson: Learn CPR
Newhall resident says wife’s training helped keep him alive during emergency
Lucky” and “fortunate” are two words Santa Clarita Valley resident Tom Park uses to describe the initial moments following his brief encounter with death.
The 60-year-old Newhall man who slipped into cardiac arrest earlier this month was revived by his wife, Gabriela.
“I’m still processing it,” Tom Park said of the incident that left him
with temporary amnesia. The sudden cessation of his heart came in the early morning hours of May 13 while Tom and Gabriela were sleeping.
The man’s wife noticed a louder-than-usual snore coming from his side of the bed.
“I realized he was in trouble and called 911,” Gabriela Park said. Emergency operators dispatched fire crews to the home and gave instructions to Gabriela Park to move her husband to the f loor and start compressions.
“It’s harder than it looks,” she said of administering CPR, “far more difficult than what’s on TV.”
After a few moments, the 911 operator instructed her to unlock the front door for in-bound fire crews.
Firefighter-paramedics John Heller and Joe Persichina were first to the scene and hurried upstairs to assess the victim.
“We found him in cardiac arrest,” Heller said of Tom Park’s condition. “We shocked him and started an IV.”
The paramedics continued CPR, intubated and medicated the downed man.
After about three minutes, a chaotic and desperate situation became somewhat hopeful as Tom Park’s pulse returned.
Emergency crews transported the Newhall couple to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
Nine days later, the Park family arrived at Fire Station 73 on Railroad Avenue in Newhall, ice cream and homemade pies in hand to show their gratitude for the paramedic team.
Last to enter the Santa Clarita Valley’s oldest fire station was Tom Park, sporting a black sling on his left arm — the result of a pacemaker installation.
An instant exchange of thank-yous, hugs and tears followed as firefighters were surprised to see the man whose condition was so grim a week earlier.
Gabriela Park described her husband’s condition and his survival as being “nothing short of a miracle.”
“It’s very difficult to be put in that kind of position when it’s someone you love so much,” she said.
In light of Tom Park’s experience, local fire officials are urging the public to take part in a CPR instructional event scheduled in Santa Clarita today.
Fire paramedics plan to coach basic resuscitation methods including hands- only CPR, which does not involve mouth-to-mouth breathing — the same method used by Gabriela Park during her husband’s cardiac arrest.
“If I had not done the chest compressions, more than likely Tom would be brain dead,” she said.
“If you know that it’s OK to do compressions only and you could save somebody’s life without putting your mouth on theirs, then that’s the name of the game,” Heller said.
The 15-year county fire veteran said doing handto- chest compressions increases a victim’s chance of survival. Tom Park agrees wholeheartedly.
“I survived the way I did because my wife knew CPR,” he said. “She saved my life and she knew what to do because she took classes.
“Eventually, you’re going to need it because sometimes we’re the first responders.”