Leon County held its annual Press the Chest CPR training event Saturday (6/17) at Tallahassee's Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Several cardiac event survivors were on hand to tell their stories.
Monticello's Erica Stevens said she doesn't remember much when her heart stopped last October, except that her husband was quick to respond.
"He started chest compressions, then he dialed 911," she said, "And when I woke up, I was in the hospital."
Howard Stevens credited the fact he knew basic CPR.
"I just relaxed, I knew she was in trouble and I knew I had to do something," he recalled.
Tom Long of Tallahassee had his brush with death about a month later.
"I quit breathing and my heart stopped," he said.
A big reason he can talk about it today is the fact his wife Jan knew what to do.
"I wanted to keep him around, they said,"she laughed.
Hundreds of new CPR trainees were at the Civic Center on Saturday. Since it began several years ago, the yearly Press the Chest event has reached thousands.
