Len Wirachowsky doesn’t remember anything about the night he had a heart attack and his wife Lena saved his life even without any CPR training.
But the woman who took Lena’s 911 call and the B.C. Ambulance paramedics who attended do remember and were on hand when Lena was presented with the B.C. Emergency Health Services’ Vital Link Award on Wednesday, May 14.
Lena called 911 the night of March 26, 2023, shortly after she and Len had gone to bed when she heard a “gurgling” sound and discovered her husband was in cardiac arrest.
“Lena gave Len a chance at survival because she acted quickly and courageously,” said Pam Gibson, Sidney Ambulance Station unit chief, who was the BCEHS emergency medical call taker who received the call for help.
Lena tried to wake up Len, but he was unresponsive and starting to turn blue.
“Following my instructions, she quickly unlocked the door, placed the phone on speaker and, despite being significantly smaller than her husband Len, managed to pull him off the bed and onto the floor,” Gibson said. “With no prior CPR training, Lena was able to perform high-quality chest compressions until paramedics and firefighters arrived and took over.”
Lena said the only exposure she’d had to CPR was from TV shows.
“It was nothing I knew. The only thing that went through my head was, ‘I’ve seen this on doctor shows on TV. I think I can do this,’” she said. “I tell everybody, ‘take the CPR,’ and I still plan on taking it even though I’ve done it, but still I plan on taking the course. I think everybody should have it and know what to do.”
Gibson said she remembers very well Lena's “will and determination" during the 911 call.
Advanced care paramedics Krystal Francisty and Devon Ewing were “just around the corner” when they received the call. Francisty said when she arrived at the scene, the strength and technique Lena was putting into the CPR was “by far” some of the best she’d seen in her 13 years on the job.
“Your CPR that day – I’ve told this story to others – was probably the best bystander CPR I have ever seen. You 100 per cent saved your husband’s life. We were just the additions,” Francisty said.
Len said he remembers nothing about the incident and his only knowledge of it is what he’s been told by others.
“I will say there was one exciting part and that was having all the firemen and paramedics in my bedroom all in the same place and [knowing] he missed it,” Lena said. “But, yeah, I’m truly grateful to everybody.”
Because doctors could not determine what caused Len’s heart attack, he has been fitted with an internal pacemaker and defibrillator and his prognosis is good.
“I can’t believe the things they can do,” he said about the technology.
The Vital Link Award is presented by BCEHS to honour the skilful actions of bystanders, who represent the “vital link” to a patient’s survival during cardiac arrest emergencies.
More than 60,000 Canadians suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually. When cardiac arrest strikes, bystander CPR, with or without the use of an automated external defibrillator, increase the victim’s chance of survival by up to 50 per cent.
“Thanks to Lena’s quick thinking, sheer strength and composure under pressure, Len’s life was saved and he has made a full recovery,” Gibson said. “Her actions were nothing short of remarkable.”
Len and Lena, who have been together for 15 years, will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary in September.