The shocking, tragic death of Ryan Fischer, the 17-year-old hockey star from Grandville, brings home a fact that surprises most of us over and over.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t tell who might have heart disease. You can\u2019t tell who might need CPR \u2013 whether it\u2019s a powerful young athlete or the mom sitting next to you in the stands.<\/p>\n

One step we can take, as we mourn for this kind and gifted young man, is to learn CPR. Maybe Grand Rapids could become Heart City. That would be just as brag-worthy as our Beer City USA title.<\/p>\n

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\nFischer had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that accounts for about a third of the sudden cardiac deaths in young athletes.<\/p>\n

In the vast majority of cases, a person suffering a sudden cardiac arrest dies before reaching the hospital. Getting CPR immediately can double or triple the chance of survival, according to the American Heart Association.<\/p>\n

Fischer died in his sleep, with no witnesses to administer CPR. But if you were with a teenager \u2013 or a parent or grandparent – whose heart suddenly stopped beating, would you know what to do?<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t – until recently. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to take a CPR certification class by Life EMS Ambulance.<\/p>\n

It was both easier and harder than I expected.<\/p>\n

The easy part was the time involved. In less than two hours, I learned the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation \u2013 when it is needed, how to perform chest compressions to keep blood pumping through the body, and how to use an automated electronic defibrillator.<\/p>\n

The hard part was applying enough pressure to get the \u201cclicking sound\u201d from the CPR mannequin, Annie, that let me know I had pressed down the recommended 2 inches.<\/p>\n

\u201cLock your elbows,\u201d advised John Schupra, director of the education center at Life EMS. That gave me the extra boost to hear that clicking sound \u2013 most of the time, anyway.<\/p>\n

Applying compressions fast enough \u2013at the rate of 100 per minute \u2013 also was tricky. Schupra suggested keeping to the beat of the song \u201cStaying Alive.\u201d But even in that practice situation, my mind had trouble remembering that beat of that often-played disco tune.<\/p>\n

The heart association has online videos that teach hands-only CPR, and it\u2019s a great idea to watch them. Hands-only CPR is CPR without the mouth-to-mouth breaths. The basic instruction is: Call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest.<\/p>\n

But if possible, take a class that includes hands-on practice.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tough to imagine the need to use CPR. I suspect that might be one reason people tend to shy away from learning it, if only subconsciously. Some small corner of our mind reasons: If we don\u2019t think about bad things happening, they won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Skills you never hope to use<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure Tony Elliott was glad he learned CPR in a mandatory class for his job. When his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jennifer DenBoer, went into cardiac arrest while sitting on the couch watching TV a year ago, he moved fast. He called 911 on speaker phone while starting chest compressions. DenBoer, of Kentwood, became one of the rare, lucky survivors.<\/p>\n

And Amy Thompson Swager, a mother of seven from Climax, is grateful her sister was able to recall training she had learned as a Girl Scout 30 years earlier. Her sister saved her life by performing CPR when Swager\u2019s heart stopped beating one day in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe looked down at me and thought, \u2018Oh, God! I’m going to watch her die!\u2019 Of all the things I am thankful for regarding my (sudden cardiac arrest), I am so grateful that wasn’t how it ended for her,\u201d Swager said. \u201cHow terrible would that be to feel so helpless.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I was learning CPR, I couldn\u2019t help but think of the tiny, older woman I found slumped over a table at Breton Village Mall one morning several years ago. She looked as if she had put her head down to take a nap.<\/p>\n

Puzzled, I walked over for a closer look. Her cup was tipped over and coffee spilled across the table.<\/p>\n

I called for help and, in seconds, customers and staff at the restaurant were calling 911 and gathering around. Someone thought she found a pulse, but if the woman was breathing, her breaths were very faint. Mall walkers stopped and suggested laying her down and raising her feet.<\/p>\n

Another woman helped me tilt back her chair to lay her gently on the floor. Immediately, the woman gulped in a big breath and then started breathing normally. By the time the emergency medical technicians arrived, she was alert and talking.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t particularly happy to be the center of attention. But I heard she was back shopping at the mall the next week.<\/p>\n

What bothered me about that situation, as I learned CPR, were the what-ifs.<\/p>\n

What if she didn\u2019t respond? What if her heart had stopped? Would I have just waited helplessly for the EMTs, her chances of survival diminishing with every second?<\/p>\n

No guarantees now that I could do everything right. But I\u2019m glad I am a bit wiser than I was two weeks ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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