David Mills and his wife were at Vista Fire Department Station 1 to say thank you to the rescuers who saved his life, and they are telling everyone about the importance of learning bystander CPR.
David suffered a heart attack early April 8. When Georgia Mills called 9-1-1, North County dispatcher Aidali Arias instructed her and grandson Jacob Blackstone how to perform hands-only bystander CPR. Within minutes, Vista Firefighter Paramedics Marouf Suleiman and Wesley Najarro arrived and kept doing CPR compressions for more than 35 minutes until Mills could be taken to Tri-City Hospital. There, Emergency Department staff and Dr. Andy Fischer and other doctors were able to restart Mills’ heart. After nearly a month in the hospital, he went home and is making a full recovery.
All spoke about the benefits of bystander CPR on July 20. Chest compressions by his family kept Mills alive, his blood flowing throughout his body. You can also save a life in just two simple steps: Call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest until professionals arrive. Do chest compressions to the beat of the Bee Gee’s song “Stayin’ Alive.” When performed immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, CPR significantly increases a victim’s chances of survival.
