Gym Worker Saves Man Suffering Heart Attack
Defibrillator Used After Man Goes Into Cardiac Arrest
November 18, 2011
A 65-year-old Rye man was working out on a treadmill at a Planet Fitness in Portsmouth when he fell unconscious. Gym worker Whitni Hendley was nearby.
"I was just doing what I was trained to do," she said. "I'm actually an EMT, so I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
The man had no pulse after suffering an apparent heart attack. While Hendley began attending to the man, another member brought her the gym's automated external defibrillator.
"Without this, I really don't know what the outcome would have been," she said.
Hendley said her instincts and medical training kicked in.
"I grabbed the AED and immediately put that on and tried to feel a pulse, but I couldn't feel one," she said.
The AED delivered a shock to the man, and Hendley followed up with CPR and rescue breathing.
"You make sure everyone is clear, and you press that red button, and then immediately after, you go right back into CPR," she said.
Within minutes, the man's pulse was back and an ambulance was on the way. The man is now recovering, and Hendley said she has been getting a lot of attention.
"Lots of thank yous, congratulations, good jobs," she said.
Hendley said she doesn't consider herself a hero, just someone who could help someone else in need.
