The family of an Alberta man is grateful for the rapid actions of an airline crew for helping save the life of their loved one.
The 73-year old Wayne Gaalaas collapsed in the Edmonton International Airport terminal after a flight from Phoenix. Luckily, a nearby flight crew noticed the incident and quickly helped.
Timely assistance
A crew member from the US Airways obtained a nearby defibrillator and delivered a single shock to the man. A WestJet flight attendant, Guy Fournier immediately started CPR.
According to Julie Gaalaas, Wayne’s daughter-in-law, it shocked him and he started to feel better shortly after. He came to and able to talk. Upon the arrival of the ambulance, he was transported to a healthcare facility.
Marlene Gaalaas followed her husband to the healthcare facility together with their son Jeff. Initially, Jeff was not aware on what was happening when the paramedics and fire crews rushed past the gates.
According to Fournier, at the end of the day, we simply did what we were trained to do.
The chances of survival for an individual experiencing a cardiac arrest rises to 80% after an AED is used. According to the airport officials, it was the 4th time when an AED was used to save a life at the airport since 2009. After this, 60 more were installed in the airport.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a CPR and AED class and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/sudden-cardiac-death
https://www.healthline.com/health/first-aid/cpr#steps-for-hands–only-cpr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_external_defibrillator