Perfect Timing

Quick Action, CPR Save a Life

Two members of the Butte Sailing Club enjoy a beautiful day on the water. The group had a scare when one of its member suffered a heart attack. Luckily, bystanders sprang into action.

The sun glistened off the water as a soft breeze cut through the air. The day had all the makings for a picturesque late afternoon in September for the Butte Sailing Club.

However, the beautiful day took a tragic turn when Mark Conry’s best friend, Jim, suffered a heart attack while docking his sailboat at the North Forebay in Oroville. Conry, the Staff Commodore for the Butte Sailing Club, spotted his friend slumped over and called out for help.

“One minute he was with us, and the next minute he was unconscious,” Conry recalled. The difference between a tragedy and a happy ending was a matter of seconds. A collective effort from a group of bystanders who knew how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator saved the man’s life.

“There were 20 angels who came together to keep Jim alive,” Conry said. “That’s the scariest part for me, just thinking we might lose him.”

According to the American Heart Association, about 90% of people who go into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can triple the chance of survival for someone experiencing cardiac arrest.

Amy Yurus, a nurse in Enloe’s Emergency Department and a member of the Butte Sailing Club, was the first to spring into action. She was about 100 yards from the dock, pulling away on her catamaran sailboat, when she heard Conry’s call for help.

“My immediate instinct was, ‘I think I need to go help,’ and I just went into autopilot and got myself to the dock as soon as I could,” Yurus said.

Amy Yurus, a nurse in Enloe’s Emergency Department, hugs Mark Conry at a recent Stories of Excellence celebration. Both members of the Butte Sailing Club, the duo helped save the life of Conry’s best friend when the man suffered a heart attack at the North Forebay in Oroville.

A strong swimmer, Yurus dove into the water and quickly swam to the dock. She saw Conry trying to perform chest compressions on the sailboat and knew CPR would be more effective on a stable surface.

“Thank God it was a busy day at the Forebay,” Yurus recalled. “We had many bystanders help us move him onto the dock.”

Meanwhile, Jordan Reed, another member of the Butte Sailing Club, was nearby. Though he was the farthest from Yurus and Conry, he was the closest to an AED, or automated external defibrillator.

Reed knew exactly where the AED was, having been a volunteer at the Forebay Aquatic Center just a few months prior. “It was easy for me to run and grab it,” Reed said. Reed brought the AED to the scene, where Yurus was still performing compressions and trying to get a pulse.

“She just took over. We needed someone to just take over and be a leader,” Conry said. “While performing chest compressions, Amy was telling people to clear away from the AED.”

Yurus continued using the defibrillator but was unable to get a pulse. The EMTs eventually arrived and administered their own AED.

On the second application, Jim regained a pulse, and he was rushed to Enloe Medical Center.

That night, he was fully alert in the hospital with his wife, Dawn, beside him. The EMTs who responded checked on him and credited the group at the dock for his survival.

“Dawn thanked the EMTs for saving Jim’s life, and their response was, ‘We didn’t save his life. His friends at the dock kept him alive until we got there.’ That goes to the heroism of Amy, Jordan and others,” Conry said.

Conry is grateful for everyone who helped. The two have sailed since the incident, and Conry’s grateful he can continue sharing memories with his best friend of 23 years.

“Every day is a gift with Jim,” he said.

June marks CPR and AED Awareness Month. To find a CPR class near you, visit www.heart.org/CPR. Knowing CPR or how to use an automated external defibrillator can save a loved one.