Family Thanks First Responders For Saving Woman's Life During Cardiac Arrest

CONROE, TX -- Two months ago, Ellen Pooler was cooking dinner in her home when her husband heard a strange sound. Randy Pooler tried calling out to her to no response before he went rushing to check on her. She was in the midst of a cardiac arrest. She was not breathing. Mr. Pooler jumped into action, calling 911 and beginning CPR on his wife. MCHD 911 Call Taker Laurie Sutton took the call and calmly talked him through doing chest compressions until Conroe Firefighters and MCHD Paramedics arrived to take over her care. They put in a breathing tube and began using a defibrillator. A short time later, the first responders confirmed that her pulse had returned, and her heart was beating again on its own. Paramedics administered vital medications and ensured Mrs. Pooler remained stable as they transported her to the hospital.

During a reunion held last week, the Pooler family thanked all the first responders who saved her life that day.

“I can’t thank you all enough. She is a miracle. I sat there and watched them working… their jobs are TOUGH… and it was seamless. Every single person knew exactly what they needed to do.”

After a very short hospital stay, Mrs. Pooler was released home, and she is doing amazingly well.

Nick Smith, MCHD Division Chief - Clinical, presented Mr. Pooler with his own “Life Saver” Challenge Coin and emphasized the importance of bystander CPR.

“The chances of surviving cardiac arrest is less than 10 percent,” he said. “For every minute you go without CPR, your chances of meaningful survival decrease significantly. That is why it is so important that YOU were there, Mr. Pooler, starting CPR on your own wife before we arrived. YOU are also a life saver.”

If you are interested in taking a CPR class with MCHD, free-of-charge, please go to https://www.mchd-tx.org/community-education/cpr/.

MCHD would like to thank all of the first responders involved in Mrs. Pooler’s care:

MCHD Paramedics

Caleb Reed, In-Charge

Justin Vincent, Attendant

Kevin Mifflin, District Chief

MCHD 911 Dispatch Center

Laurie Sutton, ALARM Medic III

Conroe Firefighters

David Thompson

Bud Brooks

Kevin Lavelle

James Conlee

Montgomery County Hospital District’s mission is to care for the indigent and provide EMS services while protecting the interest of taxpayers and ensuring long-term stability through fund development. For more information about the Montgomery County Hospital District please go to www.mchd-tx.org.