Ken Jeffries, a 57-year-old man, experienced a heart attack while waiting for his flight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. He collapsed on the airport floor, but fortune was on his side as his flight was headed to Knoxville, where Claire Cerbie, a registered nurse from a heart and vascular hospital in Charlotte, was also traveling.
Cerbie noticed Jeffries’ unusual breathing and snoring, which prompted her to check on him. Realizing he was in distress, she quickly initiated CPR with the help of bystanders while someone fetched a defibrillator. “We put the pads on him,” Cerbie recounted, “It indicated a shock-able rhythm, and it shocked him in between while we were doing compressions.”
After regaining his pulse, Jeffries was rushed to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, where Dr. William Downey, a cardiologist at the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, performed emergency surgery. Both Cerbie and Dr. Downey emphasized that without the immediate CPR and defibrillation, Jeffries likely would not have survived.
In a television interview, Jeffries expressed his gratitude to Cerbie, stating, “A ‘thank you’ is not enough, Claire. Thank you for what you did; I am so appreciative and indebted to you.” Cerbie responded with humility, saying she would do it again in a heartbeat.
As recognition for her heroic actions, American Airlines upgraded Cerbie to first class for her flight to Knoxville.
Emergencies can occur unexpectedly, and it is only naturally proper for our compassion to come to the forefront in these moments, allowing us to make a difference and help those in need, the best way our strengths carry us.