Presentation
Steve Morris
"Live Every Day As If It Was Your Last
and
The Importance of Learning CPR"
What a difference 15 days can make! This was made clear by our very own Steve Morris of FAVARH as he recounted his brush with death and subsequent rebirth thereafter. Rotarians sat riveted by Steve's story, which was eloquently delivered and emotionally received.
On the morning of January 26, 2011, Steve Morris was, not uncommonly for him, at the gym working out on a elliptical machine, as he trained for an upcoming mountaineering adventure. Steve's goal was to be part of a team which would work alongside a Special Olympian who planned to attempt to summit 14,410' Mount Rainier in Washington state. Just 15 days before, on January 11th, Steve had, had his annual physical examination, during which his doctor told him, "Steve you are the poster child of good cholesterol" and "Steve you are the healthiest person I know."
It was all good news, and given that Steve has no history of cancer, heart disease or stroke in his family, and that he is extremely physically active and careful with his health, there was no reason for concern. Indeed, we know Steve to train for, and participate in, many highly active outdoor pursuits including mountaineering, SCUBA diving, cycling and skydiving and, to train thoroughly for all these endeavors. He watches what he eats and neither smokes nor drinks (much
), and as Larry Sullivan's jest, "He's no fun!", suggests, Steve is thought to be in exemplary health. Indeed, compared to many his age, he would seem to be a bit of a super-man!
So, it was a shocking (no pun) and unexpected (by anyone) event when Steve abruptly collapsed while on the elliptical machine and crumpled to the floor in cardiac arrest. He had no pulse and his heart muscle cells were contracting in an uncoordinated manner, not moving blood in the forward direction necessary to sustain life. What happened next, and the circumstances that played out which saved Steve's life, are remarkable for just how many things had to go right for Steve to eventually regain his life, and what's more, to suffer no apparent long-term ill effects.
That day at the gym, there were very few people present, fewer than when he usually works out. The odds were long, among so few, that the necessary rapid recognition, CPR skill set and prompt actions necessary to save a person in cardiac arrest would not be present in that critical moment. As luck would have it the person who was exercising closet to Steve was a physician, one who acted immediately to check Steve's pulse, and finding none, initiated CPR. Later, that same doctor told Steve he wasn't even supposed to be at the gym that day, having been away at a professional meeting from which he had returned a day early. While the doctor was initially reluctant, his wife had encouraged him to go the gym on that extra day off he still had.
Further, and remarkably, the young and inexperienced teen who usually staffed the gym desk was absent that day and instead the gym's owner, Mr. Jeff Gearhart was covering for him. Mr. Gearhart had served as a combat medic in the 82nd Airborne Division and seeing that CPR was underway, had the presence of mind to call 9-1-1 immediately. These two actions, by two heroic men, helped make the difference that would lead to Steve's survival. As he later learned, Steve was suffering from an abnormal heart rhythm, commonly known as an "arrythmia", and the particular rhythm he had is known as ventricular fibrillation, a deadly one. When ventricular fibrillation occurs the individual muscle cells that make up the heart and surround its chambers begin to contract independently rather than all together, and in so doing blood sloshes about rather than being efficiently ejected into the arteries. Thus no pulse can be felt, unconsciousness results and, if not rapidly corrected, death follows very quickly. Statistics show that over 90% of patients suffering such an event outside a hospital environment will die, and of the survivors, most are left with permanent brain damage to varying degrees. Indeed Steve's doctors later informed him he had suffered a "cardiac death."
Another factor that impacted Steve's prognosis were the absence of a defibrillator in the gym. As luck would again have it however, the Farmington community had earlier achieved designation as a "Heart-Safe Community" [See: http://heartsafe-community.org/] by equipping all their first responders with debrillators and training them in their use. Further, two volunteer firefighters with that equipment and training were present in a fire station just 1/4 mile away from the gym, and arrived with a debrillator within 3 minutes of the 9-1-1 call. By that point, Steve had been down less than 5 minutes, and the firefighters were then able to restart his heart in just 4 minutes and 11 seconds.
Steve explained that the "Chain of Survival" first begins with the recognition of a cardiac event, followed by immediate CPR, activation of the emergency response system and prompt defibrillation. The last link in the chain is rapid access to advanced medical care. In his case, good fortune was again his, as an ambulance returning from another call was very close by, arrived immediately and transported him to the Jim Calhoun Cardiac Unit of the University of Connecticut Medical Center. Amazingly, he was there within 20 minutes of his fall from the elliptical machine. Further, and amazingly, the entire cardiac care medical staff of the hospital, doctors and advance care nurses alike, were at that moment present in the unit, having just concluded a monthly staff meeting moments before his arrival. Could anyone be so lucky? Clearly the good Lord was completely unprepared for Steve that day!
Steve's talk today included several important messages and life lessons. First, is the importance of learning CPR. Over 4000 people die each year in Connecticut alone, from cardiac arrest. Knowing CPR positions one to possibly save a life.
Next, one of Steve's favorite books is Tuesdays with Morrie, which describes the efforts of a young man to hear and record the life story of an older man, dying of cancer, who was once the younger man's teacher. Later, after the teacher dies, the student wrote the book to widely share Morrie's wisdom. A quote from the book is: "Everybody knows they're going to die, but no one believes it." Learning CPR is an acknowledgement that someone "who doesn't believe it" may one day need it, and that what goes around comes around. Any of us may need that gift one day as well.
Steve doesn't think of himself as a survivor but instead "as having been given a great gift, to see what it was like to die, and to see who is affected by your life." He stated that he had made changes in his life because of what had happened to him. As this Editor listened to this portion of Steve's profoundly moving subject, I was reminded of George Bailey, the character played by actor Jimmy Stewart in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life." George, having had several personal and financial setbacks, briefly wished he had never been born. It took an angel named Clarence to reveal to George just how much good his life represented in the world and how many others were diminished by his absence. George, just as Steve has done, learned to be grateful for what he has, despite all of life's challenges. Steve admonished Rotarians not "to wait for their own near death experience to start living every day as if it were your last." These are powerful and important words.
At the conclusion of the presentation, several Rotarians had questions, but it was Larry Sullivan who noted that Steve hadn't specified what life changes he'd made. Larry asked him, " What did you change?" To which Steve replied, "It's not what you might think. It's not one big thing, but rather it's all the little things, such as "being closer to my family, being closer with my kids and spending more time with them. I've also accomplished more at FAVARH in the last 6 years than I had in all the years before that."
Thank you Steve, for sharing your very personal story with us and also for choosing to be here with us, in the fellowship of Rotary.
"Atta boy Clarence"
[Donna Reed, James Stewart, Karolyn Grimes in "It's a Wonderful Life." 1946]
[Photograph courtesy of Republic Pictures & Artisan Entertainment]
Rotarians can learn more about Heart Safe Communities at the Heart Safe website, here: http://heartsafe-community.org/
