The Right Place, The Right Time | Thomas’s Story of Cardiac Arrest
posted on: 6/4/2025 4:25:05 PM
Cardiac arrest can happen without warning, and survival depends on immediate action. This is exactly what Thomas experienced one morning on the way to work. What followed was a remarkable chain of events that turned crisis into survival—a powerful story of being in the right place at exactly the right time.
“I got up and started to head into work,” Thomas recalled about his cardiac event. “The last thing I remember was coming down Roush Road, and I just shut off. That's all.”
Thomas had gone into sudden cardiac arrest behind the wheel of his vehicle, alone on a quiet stretch of road. By chance, he lost consciousness in front of one of the only houses along that stretch—the home of Travis Fillhart, an off-duty EMS professional. Inside, Travis was watching the Super Bowl with his wife and best friend when they noticed headlights coming across the field outside.
“We ran outside and started to pull him out of his truck,” Travis recalled. “He had no pulse. We got him to the ground and started CPR immediately while my wife called 9-1-1. We kept it going for about two minutes before Crystal and her crew arrived.”
Crystal Plumpe and members of the Bath Township Fire Department, which also included Chief Joseph Kitchen and Lainey Austin, took over from there. Crystal said, “We checked his rhythm—it was shockable—so we defibrillated and continued CPR. We wanted to get him breathing on his own while we got him to the ambulance.”
Thomas was rushed to Lima Memorial Health System, where the heart team discovered multiple heart blockages. Thanks to the immediate response and the advanced care he received at Lima Memorial, he’s back on his feet and back at work three days a week.
Travis, a CPR instructor of more than 15 years, stressed how critical those first few minutes are:
“CPR saves lives. It’s that simple. If it’s done quickly and correctly, it gives someone a real chance. Thomas is living proof.”
The Bath Township Fire Department’s swift and skilled response to Thomas’s cardiac arrest earned them Cardiac Run of the Year at Lima Memorial’s 28th Annual EMS Banquet. Thomas’s story is more than just a fortunate outcome. It is a reminder that in moments of crisis, knowing what to do can mean the difference between life and death.
Be ready. Learn CPR. You could save a life: https://bit.ly/3R8Umfr
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