Trip to DMV leads to life-saving moment

When she set out for the Department of Motor Vehicles in February, Chelsea Whittaker thought it would be an ordinary trip. Before it was over, she found herself jumping in to save the life of another person.

After renewing her license, Whittaker, 28, of Millsboro, was heading for the door, when she noticed a woman asking for help. Her husband was unresponsive.

Whittaker, a nursing student at Delaware Technical & Community College, immediately recognized the signs of heart failure.

She dialed 911 and helped get the man onto the floor, where she began cardiopulmonary rescusitation or CPR.

“When I saw the man, he was cold and clammy and starting to sweat,” said Whittaker, who also bartends at Bethany Blues in Lewes. “The dispatcher was great in helping me remember what to do next. He was really patient.”

Whittaker did chest compressions until the medics arrived. The woman was so shaken up Whittaker decided to stay with her and help her communicate with the medics.

“She was originally from Germany and didn’t drive, so she had no way to get to the hospital,” Whittaker said. “So I took her to Beebe and helped her contact family because she didn’t have a phone or contact numbers.”

Whittaker ended up staying with the woman at Beebe all day. The husband later had triple bypass surgery and is now recovering in New Jersey.

“He’s doing great and is recovering,” said Whittaker, who keeps in touch with the family, who wished to remain anonymous. “They live in Rehoboth and were supposed to go to McDonald’s for coffee because it was their Valentine’s Day tradition.

“It was certainly the craziest Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had, and I won’t forget it for a long time.”

Whittaker, a mother, said she keeps up on CPR certification because it’s important to know. She said she never had to use it before, but she is glad she had the knowledge to help the couple she met at the DMV.

New CPR is hands-only

The American Heart Association recently changed its policy on CPR, which should encourage bystanders to help in times of heart distress.

The new, hands-only approach teaches users to perform chest compressions in a rhythm instead of stopping to do mouth-to-mouth.

Denise Larson, registered nurse and training center coordinator for Beebe Hospital in Lewes, said the new hands-only technique is effective for bystanders who may shy away from mouth-to-mouth contact with a stranger.

“The American Heart Association is saying that compression only is better than nothing,” Larson said. “This is the first time in 60 years they have changed their guidelines. If a bystander sees someone in distress, they are to call 911, then start compressions, doing at least 100 compressions per minute until help arrives.”

The new technique is expected to save lives because it improves the likelihood bystanders will step in to help. Chest compressions allow blood to continue flowing to the brain, which is key to saving lives.

Beebe Hospital offers CPR to anyone interested. Often classes fill up quickly, so it helps if a local organization sets up a class at a location off hospital grounds, Larson said.

“We have done classes at the high school, in churches and day cares,” Larson said. “As the need becomes greater in the area and while we want to offer it to the community, we can’t always accommodate every request.”

CPR classes for the public are held every third Tuesday of the month. They cost $50. For more information, call the hospital at 302-645-3300.