TIGARD, Ore. — A phone app and a vigilant couple saved the life of a Tigard woman, who collapsed during a jog. Now, over a year later, she got to reunite and thank her rescuers, who were recognized for their swift work.
Last September, Amy Vollman, then 37, had wanted to squeeze in a quick run to practice for an upcoming 10K when she collapsed, going into cardiac arrest.
“I remember part of the run, and then the next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital and I was in a cardiac unit," recalled Vollman.
Luckily for Vollman, a couple driving home had spotted her.
“Immediately, I stopped the car and ran over to her to see what was going on," recalled Kevin Olsvik, who also lives in Tigard.
Olsvik tried shaking Vollman, but she was completely unresponsive. His wife, Leah Burkhart, called 911, which advised Olsvik to perform CPR.
"I just kept doing those chest compressions as fast and as hard as I could, and as I was doing so, I could hear the sirens and that help was coming," said Olsvik.
Burkhart and Olsvik's 911 call generated an alert on the Pulsepoint app, which alerts people CPR trained to respond to any cardiac arrest near them.
Kristian Adair, an off-duty Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue firefighter, received the alert.
“I hustled up there to see what I could do, and based off my experience at work, at least, I can bring a little bit of knowledge or understanding or a little bit of calm to the scene,” Adair said.
Adair said five minutes later, paramedics arrived and transported Vollman to the hospital. He said the swift response not only saved Vollman's life but also lessened her chances of brain damage.
“(When) somebody’s heart is not functioning, every minute, every second matters; that tissue that you can’t get back," he explained.
Vollman recovered, discovering she has a rare heart defect where blood flow circulates in the wrong direction. She now lives with an implanted pacemaker and defibrillator.
Vollman said she will always be grateful for the couple that saved her life, who were recognized Friday alongside firefighters and dispatchers.
“It was your quick response and proactiveness that kept the blood flow to my brain; you kept me me, and you bring an incredible meaning to the words 'good Samaritan,'” she said.
