Earlier this month, Peter Wall and his adult son Andrew were heading home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a 10-day father-son trip. As they were boarding a flight in Salt Lake City Airport, Peter suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, there just happened to be several healthcare professionals in the immediate vicinity who all jumped in to work together to save him.
Dr. Anant Shukla, an emergency medicine resident at Dartmouth Health, was in the airport lounge having a coffee after his flight was delayed when he heard someone call out for a doctor. He and several other medical professionals, including local nurse Josh Lane, rushed to Peter’s aide. Despite not knowing one another, Andrew says the group coordinated “as if they had been working together for years.” Their efforts in performing CPR revived Peter and ultimately saved his life.
This week, the Walls got a chance to thank a couple of their rescuers. Dr. Shukla and nurse Lane, video called with Peter and Andrew, recounting the harrowing episode. Peter, who is nearly fully recovered, expressed his gratitude, saying, "I'm feeling very thankful, and I'm very happy to have met the people that saved my life." Everyone involved say the event is a good reminder of the importance of CPR and are urging more people to get certified.