Davidson, Elbow

Citizens heroic actions recognized

Wayne Willner was able to thank all the people who helped save his life after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at Douglas Provincial Park. Pictured are Wayne and some of his rescuers (from left): Eric Packet, Alissa Forman, Jill Rettger, Wayne & Anne Willner and Josh Dolinski.

DOUGLAS PROVINCIAL PARK—Wayne Willner is living proof that it pays to be kind to people.

The friendly hospitality Wayne and his wife Anne have bestowed over the years has made them people whom others want to be around.

After all, you never know when you’ll need a few people nearby to save your life.

The lifesaving actions of those around them the night of May 19, when Wayne went into sudden cardiac arrest, were recognized last Wednesday.

The Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program and Saskatchewan Parks, Recreation and Culture held an event at Douglas Provincial Park to recognize Eric Packet, Alissa Forman, Jill Rettger, Josh Dolinski, Elbow volunteer First Responders Mark Janke and Dale Hundeby and the EMS crew from Central Butte who assisted in getting Wayne to hospital by STARS Air Ambulance.

They all helped Wayne beat the odds.

In Canada, the odds of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest is 5 per cent, said Amber Gorman, co-ordinator for the PAD program in Regina.

It’s her job to help businesses and organizations become automated external defibrillator (AED) sites. She knows they are crucial in helping people who experience a sudden loss of heart function.

“If you can start chest compressions on someone who goes into cardiac arrest immediately it increases chances of surviving by 30 per cent. If you can get an AED on somebody within two to five minutes, it increases chances of surviving by 80 per cent,” she said. “If you do nothing for 10 minutes, chances of surviving go down 10 per cent every minute. There is a less than two per cent chance of surviving after 10 minutes.”

Elbow First Responders Dale Hundeby and Mark Janke know the importance of bystanders getting involved.

“The CPR they were doing before we got here was the critical difference,” Hundeby said.

“To be there on the spot made all the difference in the world,” Janke agreed.

Hundeby recalled the words of an instructor during a first responder training session that could help people overcome fear or reluctance when it comes to performing chest compressions and using an AED.

“You can’t do anything wrong if they’re already dead. You can’t get any worse than dead,” Hundeby said.

That’s where Wayne was headed shortly after 10:30 p.m., May 19 when Anne discovered him unconscious in the backyard of the Store by the Shore.

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