Bayne Hughes
The Decatur Daily
DECATUR, Ala. 鈥� Patrick Swinea was standing in the Publix deli line on a Saturday evening in June when the man in front of him suddenly collapsed.
Christos Kakaras was having a major heart attack at around 6 p.m. on June 25 at the Beltline Road Southwest grocery store, and Swinea stepped in to help.
鈥淚 could tell the guy was in distress,鈥� said Swinea, a physical therapist at DOC Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. 鈥淭hey teach us now to do compression-only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). We could not find a pulse.鈥�
Swinea and others quickly began emergency treatment, called for first responders, and helped save Kakaras鈥� life.
On Monday, the city recognized the combined efforts of Swinea, Publix Manager Brad Evans and employee Donna Wise, Morgan County 911 dispatcher Ryan Burns and Decatur Fire & Rescue firefighters in aiding Kakaras.
The resolution from Mayor Tab Bowling and the City Council recognized the participants for their 鈥渃ourageous and lifesaving actions.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud how this showed the whole system works, from the dispatcher, the firefighters to the bystanders,鈥� Fire Chief Tracy Thornton said.
While Swinea did CPR, Evans retrieved the store鈥檚 automatic defibrillator and Wise called 911.
Swinea and Thornton both said the fact Publix keeps an automatic defibrillator in the store was key to saving Kakaras鈥� life.
The fire chief said Burns did a great job as a dispatcher in calmly working with the people seeking to resuscitate Kakaras on the scene as Decatur Fire & Rescue鈥檚 firefighters from stations 5 and 7 responded.
鈥淗e (Burns) stayed calm, cool and collected, giving orders as Evans (relayed to Wise) what to do,鈥� Thornton said. 鈥淭hey defibrillated the victim one time before our crew arrived on the scene. He still was not breathing and didn鈥檛 have a pulse.鈥�
Thornton said the firefighters put a Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System (LUCAS) device on Kakaras and started other emergency measures.
The firefighters started noticing some movement from Kakaras as they loaded him into the ambulance and the LUCAS device showed he had a pulse, Thornton said.
Swinea said he wasn鈥檛 sure at the time whether Kakaras would survive, but it was good to hear he was moving and there was a pulse when he left the grocery store.
Thornton said Decatur Morgan Hospital Ambulance Service then transported Kakaras to Huntsville Hospital.
鈥淏y the time they got to the hospital, Mr. Kakaras was laughing and talking to them,鈥� Thornton said.
Kakaras is now in rehab and is hopeful he will go home in two or three weeks, the chief said.
Kakaras made a recorded message for the council meeting: 鈥淭his Fire Department has given me my life back, and I would like to thank them.鈥�
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