Have You Ever Saved Someone's Life?

 About a month ago, while out riding his bike on a beautiful fall Sunday afternoon, my brother, Andrew, came upon a fallen cyclist, lying face down, at the top of a hill. Andrew stopped immediately. Had this guy hit something, or been hit?  He leaned over to ask the fallen cyclist if he was alright, but got no answer. He quickly put his bike down and turned the cyclist over and realized the cyclist was in full cardiac arrest. Andrew began compressions immediately, reminding the cyclist to, "Breathe!" and that it wasn't his day to die. He screamed out for someone to call 911 while continuing his compressions.

After what felt like a lifetime, the ambulance came and took over. When the medic took the fallen cyclist away, Andrew asked, "Is he going to make it?" The medic told him it was "50/50" and drove off. Andrew was shaken up. Having nothing else he could do to help, he pulled over to gather himself and prayed, knowing the cyclist was young and probably had a family. 

The fallen cyclist was taken to Hoag Memorial in Newport. After hearing from my brother, I called the hospital to see if the cyclist survived. Andrew didn't want to know because if he didn't make it, it would be too heartbreaking. When I told the ER nurse the story and asked about the cyclist that was just brought in, she said, "They are still working on him." I hesitated, then asked, "Is that a good sign?" She said it was. It makes sense that it's a bad sign if doctors aren't working on heart attack victims after some time has passed. 

"Tell your brother he gave this guy a chance," she said gently, before we hung up. 

I called back a couple of hours later. The ER nurse said she was so glad I called. She wanted to tell me the fallen cyclist survived and was surrounded by his wife and kids. 

When I told my brother the cyclist made it and was with his family, he cried. An hour later, he got a call from the cyclist's best friend, thanking him for giving his friend a chance to live. That night, he received texts from the cyclist's children, thanking him and calling him their "angel."

That afternoon, Hung, the fallen cyclist, was riding with a group of ten cyclists, his friends. Hung was always the last cyclist in the group, not realizing it was because of his heart condition. None of the riders knew what had happened to Hung until the group came to a stop several miles away. They waited fifteen minutes for him to catch up and when he didn't, they began calling him in earnest. It wasn't until another ER nurse picked up Hung's phone that they knew he had suffered a heart attack. They, too, didn't know if he was going to make it.

The doctors told Hung if Andrew didn't stop to see if he was okay, he would have died. If Andrew didn't begin compressions when he did, Hung would have ended up brain-dead. Hung had a 4% chance of surviving that day...and he did. He was in the Cardiac ICU for two weeks, then had a quadruple bypass and a pacemaker put in for his arrhythmia.      

Last weekend, about 250 of Hung's family and friends gathered for Hung's Celebration of Life. There, they wanted to honor Andrew, for saving their husband, dad, uncle, friend, and Boy Scout Troupe leader. When we walked down the street towards the party, they chanted, "Andy, Andy, Andy, Andy!"

Hung's group of cycling buddies waited in a group at the end of the driveway to be the first one's to thank Andrew.  Afterwards, they walked him through the crowd to where Hung and his family were waiting with flowers and balloons. There were hugs, tears, laughter and thanks. One lady laid on the ground and called out, "Andy save me!"

Hung's friends and family formally thanked Andrew for his act of courage. Hung's son gave him a crystal heart that read, "Thank you Andy Burke, Our Good Samaritan, Our Hero...You saved a life." Hung's daughter named Andy's phone number, "Andy our Angel."

As soon as Hung is strong enough, the group wants to ride together with Andrew. They say he's "family now." Andrew gave Hung compressions, and in return, Hung gave him his friendship...for life.

It's not often that an act of kindness can affect so many lives. But this one surely did.