Oregonians go from bystanders to lifesavers

For National CPR and AED Awareness Week, Oregonians whose lives were saved by CPR are sharing their stories in hopes of inspiring more people to be prepared to save a life.

Currently, 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die, in part because most do not receive CPR.

Crystal Ball was almost one of them when she suffered sudden cardiac arrest after a run in 2020. She said she is grateful for the people around her who took action – what she calls the chain of survival.

“My husband getting the 911 operator on the line, and that operator telling my husband how to give me hands-only CPR kept me alive,” Ball recounted. “Every link matters.”

Ball pointed out other links in the chain included the first responders in the ambulance and the advanced care she received at the hospital. After surgery to place an internal defibrillator and a period of recovery, she is back to living an active life.

Ball noted part of her life now is sharing her story with as many people as possible so more people will learn CPR and feel confident in an emergency. She added men are more likely than women to receive CPR in public, giving them a higher chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest.

“When you learn CPR, you are more willing to provide that CPR to a stranger, whether they are male or female,” Ball emphasized.

The American Heart Association encourages everyone to learn hands-only CPR: Call 911, push hard and fast in the center of the chest and keep going until help arrives.