Reaching Out: There When He Needed Them
 Clark and Nasby meet Cummins after his brush with death. |
Wednesday, March 16--
It's a typical March day, rainy, windy and cold. Melani Nasby shivers as she leaves Cascade Valley Hospital (CVH), where she works as a Facility Technician. She asked someone to take over her shift. Her son is getting out of school early and she promised to take him shopping for his birthday present. When she gets home, Nasby tells her son she needs a little nap and to wake her up at 10. He lets her oversleep. Now they are running late and Nasby still has to stop for gas.
10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, March 16--
Tom Clark and his mother are heading out to buy supplies for their boat restoration project. They stop by the Arlington Safeway Pharmacy and Gas Station. While he is paying for gas he sees nasby, whom he knows from his job as an RN at CVH. Clark's not working this particular day, and Nasby kids him that his being off work has caused the weather to turn bad.
10:58 a.m.--
As Clark pulls away from the pumps, his mother notices a car rolling slowly through the parking lot at a strange angle. It bumps into a car parked near McDonalds and stops. No one gets out. "Tom, I think something is wrong," cries his mother.
Clark rushes over. Mike Cummins (71) is slumped over his steering wheel. Clark checks and finds no hearbeat or signs of breathing.
"At that moment this man in the car became my patient and he needed me," explains an unassuming Clark. "I asked Mom to call a code into 911 and began rescue breathing and chest compressions. I just kept thinking, 'This is someone's dad or husband.' I wanted him to live long enough to be able to tell them once more that he loves them."
11:01 a.m.--
Nasby is pulling away from the pumps. She sees two vehicles parked at odd angles. Then she sees two sets of legs coming out one of the driver-side doors.
"I knew something was very wrong. I told the kids to stay in the Blazer and ran over," Nasby remembers. "A guy was trying to do CPR by himself. I am trained in Advanced Life Support (ALS) as part of my job as CVH, so I ran around to the passenger side and took over the rescue breathing. The guy doing chest compressions kept saying, 'I don't think he's going to make it.' Between breaths I yelled back, 'No! We've got to do this. He's somebody's grandpa!'
"Just then the man vomited and we knew he had a chance. The guy doing chest compressions yelled, 'We have a pulse!' and I realized it was Tom Clark."
The two asked someone to help them get Cummins out of the vehicle, grab a blanket and place him on the ground. They continued chest compression for several more minutes. The paramedics arrived, intubated Cummins, shocked him twice and his heart started back up on its own.
5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 5--
Tom Clark and Melanie Nasby receive calls from Lori Sheller (Cummins' daughter). Her dad was being released from the hospital that day. She breaks down while talking to Tom and can't find words to express her gratitude.
3:30 p.m.
Monday, April 11--
Clark, his mother Ginnie Blain, and Nasby meet Cummins, his wife, Gail, and Sheller for the first time. They are back in teh Safeway parking lot, and no one can hold back the tears.
"I just don't know how I can thank you guys," Cummins says softly. "It's just a like a movie was being produced, that both of you were in this parking lot at that particular time. And now I am alive!"
"We don't see ourselves as heroes," agreed Clark and Nasby. "Thanks to Cascade Valley Hospital and our ALS instructor, Elaine Coalwell, we were both prepared. The rest of the thanks, for us being where we were at that moment, should be given to someone else."
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. It should not replace a visit with your health care professional. Call your doctor if you need more information or have additional questions.