One Red Crosser Saves Another

“Three colleagues did CPR on me that morning…I’m very lucky to be alive. It was so close.”  – Terry Feheley

“A lot of people are afraid to do CPR – afraid of hurting the person they are helping. My thought was ‘I’m going to sustain life until someone arrives that can bring him back.”  – Chrisi Rogers

Terry’s Story

We caught up with former Red Cross NHQ communicator, Terry Feheley, now living in Binghamton, New York, to hear about his Red Cross hero who performed CPR until help arrived one morning at Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Terry recalled, “Three colleagues did CPR on me that morning in February 2011. Gosh, it’s been almost 15 years.

“Two of the women left the Red Cross years ago, but Chrisi Rogers still works in Human Resources. She and I have kept in touch since I moved home to upstate New York. 

“I don’t remember much about that week. My cardiac arrest happened early Monday morning in the first floor lobby of the 18th Street building. I was walking over to the cafeteria in the E Street building to get some coffee and passed out. The security guard at the front desk at 18th Street heard me whack my head on one of the heavy brass doors and sounded the alarm. 

“Chrisi and colleagues, Joanna Evans and Adrianne Thomas, were in their nearby offices and responded. They did CPR until the District of Columbia Emergency Services ambulance arrived. The EMS squad had to give me several shocks with the AED device until they got a heartbeat. Then they transported me to George Washington University Hospital, where I stayed for eight days.  

“I have no recollection of anything that happened all that week…until Saturday. People came to visit me in the hospital, but later I couldn’t recall seeing and talking with them. It was a very surreal experience.

“So, I’m very lucky to be alive. It was so close. A cardiologist put in a heart defibrillator during my stay at George Washington University Hospital.

“I moved to Binghamton 10 years ago to help look after my elderly mother. Mom passed away a few years ago at age 94, but she was able to stay in her own home until she died. She was a registered nurse and helped countless people during her long career. 

“My daughter and her husband live in Northern California in the Napa Valley. They have four girls now. Such a blessing. I plan on moving out there someday to be close to them. I will not miss the cold and snow here in upstate New York.”

Chrisi’s Story

“I remember clearly the day I helped Terry. It was February 7, and I’d tried to save a man using CPR exactly 30 years earlier,” said Chrisi.

“I was much younger when I learned CPR and first aid by taking a Red Cross lifesaving course and a swimming course.

“When Terry had his cardiac arrest, I happened to sit on the end of the isle of cubicles in my consulting job at Red Cross. I’d been there for 7 months. Someone came running down past my desk and asked if anyone was trained and could come help, so off I went.

“Terry had fallen on his way out the door to the courtyard and his head was bleeding. He’d hit it on the big brass door. Someone was holding the door open and holding his head up while I and another staff member alternated doing chest compressions for 30 seconds each, for stamina. 

“When EMS arrived 15 minutes later, so much adrenalin was rushing that my legs felt wobbly even as I sat on the floor. EMS shocked his chest about four times before he came to, and they took him in the ambulance. Everyone standing around that had gathered clapped. I couldn’t figure out why more people had not responded.

“I’d tell anyone considering training now that it’s invaluable and certainly life-changing for the person you are doing it for. It’s important.

“A lot of people are afraid to do CPR – afraid of hurting the person they are helping. You can take all the training in the world and if you don’t act, you can’t help. You must act in an emergency, don’t sit back and think someone else is going to do it.

“Terry didn’t look good when he collapsed. My thought was ‘I’m going to sustain life until someone arrives that can bring him back.’ There is no harm in performing CPR. Terry survived. That’s why it’s so important to at least make an effort. 

"That was 15 years ago. Terry and I have become and stayed friends over the years. It’s a really weird way to meet a friend. When this happened, his daughter was 7 to 8 months pregnant. He’s not only been able to meet that first grandchild, but all four of his grandkids.”

Red Cross Extraordinary Personal Action Award

Terry and Chrisi had their photo taken at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. when Chrisi received the Red Cross Extraordinary Personal Action award signed by then American Red Cross President Gail McGovern and presented by ARCAN member Linda Mathes when she was CEO of the National Capital Area Chapter.

'Until Help Arrives' Training Free to ARCAN Members

To take advantage of the Red Cross virtual first aid and CPR class offered free to ARCAN members through June 3, see details and at ARCAN News.