Desert Jet Employee Credits Coworkers' CPR Training With Saving His Life

A Desert Jet employee is alive today because his coworkers knew what to do when it mattered most.

Jeremy was sitting in the lobby at work when he went into cardiac arrest. One moment he was taking a seat in front of a coworker, and the next, he remembers nothing. His coworkers, trained in CPR, immediately jumped into action, with one calling 911, another taking over chest compressions, and another grabbing an AED.

"They saved my life," Jeremy said. "There's absolutely no doubt that if it wasn't for them, I would be gone."

His story is an important reminder as CPR Week passes us by. It’s an annual push to raise awareness around a skill that the American Heart Association says is far too rare. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals every year in the United States, and about 90% are fatal. But when bystanders step in with immediate CPR, a person's chances of survival can double or even triple.

Desert Jet is responding by expanding its CPR and AED training, working to make sure more employees are prepared if another emergency happens on the job.

CPR Week has ended, but the American Heart Association encourages anyone interested in getting certified to search for a course through their local chapter.