GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Zachary Waters is thankful he took a CPR class ten years ago. And so is the friend who nominated him to receive Red Cross' Life Saving Award.
On Wednesday, the Muskegon resident was honored by Red Cross with the award, for the time he saved the life of a friend who suffered a cardiac arrest at a restaurant.
Waters said he and his co-workers decided to get stop by the 84th Street Pub and Grille after work one day. Suddenly, something went wrong with Tim Reibel, one of his co-workers.
“[His] eyes rolled back into his head, and [he] fell like a sack of potatoes on the ground,” said Waters.
At first, the group thought that Riebel may have slipped. Then, they realized he wasn’t breathing and called 911.
“Instantly, kind of adrenaline kick in and reflexes took over, and [I] started doing CPR,” said Waters. He performed CPR for ten minutes straight.
Waters remembers thinking Riebel wouldn't survive. “He wasn’t responding,” said Waters. “He was just kind of like spewing up oxygen air.”
When the ambulance arrived, Riebel was defibrillated three times before he was revived.
“As they were about to take off in the ambulance to the hospital, one of the firefighters ran over and he’s like, ‘You guys, you saved his life,’” said Waters. “He goes ‘This never happens.’ He goes, ‘I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal to you,’ but he’s like ‘This is incredible.’”
Riebel himself was the one who nominated Waters for the award.
Red Cross Regional Communication Manager Alicia Door told FOX 17 said CPR training sticks with people for years, just like it did for Waters.
“We hear stories all the time of people being able to get these skills, and then draw on them 10-15 years later,” said Door. “And so that just shows you that even in a time of adrenaline, even in a time of emergency, these skills are ingrained.”
Waters knows full well that CPR training is a crucial skill to learn. “You always think it’s not going to happen to you. You don’t need to pay attention, you don’t need the class. But I didn’t think it was going to happen to me. These situations just arrive and you could be that person.”
Anyone interested in signing up for the Red Cross CPR training class can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit their website.
