On Sunday, March 30, I saved my husband’s life.

Teri Lutzke

My husband, Chris, and I had gone to bed. I was on my phone and Chris was sleeping with his CPAP mask on. He then sounded like he was snoring, which shouldn’t happen if a CPAP is worn properly. I elbowed him, telling him to fix his mask. The snoring continued, and as I sat up and looked over, I saw he was in distress. His face was purple, and he wasn’t breathing. I immediately told Chris I was calling 911. Our daughter, Taylor, heard the yelling and came upstairs to see what was wrong. Chris had partially slid off the bed when he stopped breathing, and now he had slid off onto his side on the floor. Pleading with the 911 operator to send help, my next move was to get Chris on his back to start CPR. Taylor helped me move things and get her dad on his back. I started CPR. The operator was just a blur, and I just remember screaming “Send someone please, we can’t lose him!”

It was just seven or eight minutes until the first responder arrived and took over CPR for me. It does take a lot out of you very quickly. Once EMS and firefighters arrived, they used an AED and had to shock Chris three times to get his heart started. He was then rushed to the hospital in Wyoming where he was placed in a medically induced coma while they figured out what had happened. The doctors stated this was a “reset” to help his body and mind until they could see what course to start on next. Due to the severity of the situation, Chris was moved to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. We discovered he had norovirus. My daughter and I had been sick with it the month before, but we didn’t know he had it; he didn’t show any symptoms. However, he became severely dehydrated and his body wasn’t flushing out the toxins, which triggered a respiratory event due to all the buildup and then he went into cardiac arrest.

The doctors told us I had broken seven of Chris’s ribs while performing CPR that night. I remember feeling and hearing them break. But the doctors said that’s how you know you’re doing it right; that’s the amount of pressure required to keep electrical activity in the heart—that’s why the first responders were able to restart Chris’s heart with the AED. It’s hard to know you’re hurting the person while you’re trying to help—it’s hard to wrap your head around that.

Chris was in the medically induced coma for three days. Thankfully he didn’t have any cognitive impairment. An angiogram showed there were no blockages. In 2018, my husband had an emergency triple bypass due to blockages. Due to the unknown surrounding this incident, they placed a defibrillator (that also has pacemaker abilities) in his chest.

The cardiologist told us it came down to the CPR being what saved my husband. We learned that if people go into cardiac arrest in a hospital setting, only 25 percent survive. If it happens at home, only 3-5 percent survive it. We feel incredibly lucky that we are part of that 3-5 percent and that my husband is still with us. Chris is just 41 years old. Our daughter will graduate high school next year. She needs her dad, and I need my husband.

A couple of weeks went by, and the first responder stopped at our home to meet Chris, and we were able to say thank you. He told my husband he knew with what Taylor and I did, and what we said, that he was loved. He said this is not the typical outcome these cases have, and he was so happy this one had a happy outcome. He said he held his breath as the AED was put on my husband and then he heard “shock advised” and he knew what a good sign that was and it was thanks to he and I doing CPR.

Teri with her husband, Chris, and their daughter, Taylor

I want to turn our family’s experience into a positive one to help other people. I remember back when I was a DSP and thinking “Oh, I gotta go do another CPR class,” but honestly, having that knowledge and just being able to do it—you can save someone’s life. What I learned about CPR has made the difference in my everyday life.

My husband now tells people that I saved his life not only when we met, but that there is absolute proof that without me, he wouldn’t be here. He calls me his hero. My daughter recently performed in a play and dedicated her performance to me and her dad saying, “For my dad for powering through no matter what comes at him and for my mom for saving him.” My person is still here because of CPR.

Knowing how to perform CPR is important for everyone. All of us should have that skill in our back pocket. All of our direct care staff are trained in CPR and we encourage our office staff to take the training as well. We are working on training Hammer & NER staff who could lead CPR classes for family and friends at a discounted rate. Please watch for more information. Or look for a CPR course in your community.

Teri Lutzke is Hammer & NER’s Director of Human Resources.