CHULUOTA, Fla. (WESH) — Lucinda McCarthy says her husband, Doug, went into cardiac arrest two years ago, after taking a fall while on the job.
He went home early and just moments later, he collapsed.
“He went from the dining room chair onto the floor on his back and I moved him a little bit, he wasn’t responding, I called 911, I gave them the rundown,” she said.
She then started CPR until Seminole County and Oviedo fire crews arrived and took over.
“We got him on the rescue, rescue 46, crew got there, we put him on board, and then we took him to the hospital,” Seminole County Battalion Chief Gregory Harlow said.
They say he didn’t have a pulse and wasn’t breathing, but because of the quick thinking of his wife and the first responders, he regained consciousness and fully recovered at Central Florida Regional.
Two years later, the department is awarding the team and McCarthy’s wife for saving him.
It was a long-overdue ceremony, delayed by COVID-19 restrictions, now serving as a reminder of how crucial CPR can be.
“He’s living proof that CPR works and every second counts,” Lucinda McCarthy said.
