Each year, the Oklahoma Heart Hospital awards a local citizen with the Heart Hero Award. This award recognizes a local Oklahoman who has used CPR, or an AED to save the life of a fellow citizen. Watch the video's below to hear their stories today. to and make a point to learn CPR and AED usage at your next opportunity.
2014 Heart Hero Award Recipient - Travis Demont Burdine
2014 OKLAHOMA HEART HERO – Travis Demont Burdine - His Story
OKLAHOMA CITY—A Prague, Oklahoma fitness trainer has been named the 2014 Oklahoma Heart Hero for rescuing a woman who fell into an immediate coma after suffering a potentially devastating heart attack while working out in the gym last fall. The Oklahoma Heart Hero award honors ordinary Oklahomans who stepped out of their safety zone to save another with CPR. The mission of the award, given by the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, is to encourage more people to take the time to learn the lifesaving technique.
On September 18, 2013 Travis was conducting fitness classes as usual at the Body Worx fitness center in downtown Prague, Oklahoma. It was also a routine day for 49-year-old Kim Steele who was walking on the treadmill as part of her regular workout. In mid-stride, Kim suddenly collapsed and fell into a coma. A nearby worker called for help and Travis immediately went to work trying to revive Kim. He began CPR along with another bystander while other fitness center patrons dialed 911.
Kim and her husband Chris call Travis their hero. Kim’s cardiologists would later tell her that if Travis had delayed another minute beginning CPR she likely would not have survived. Kim had no previous symptoms of heart disease before the heart attack. She worked out regularly, had low cholesterol, low blood pressure and was a vegetarian. She does have a strong family history of heart disease which is a major risk factor for sudden heart attack. The day of the heart attack, Kim was immediately flown to Oklahoma Heart Hospital South campus where she underwent a stint procedure to clear the blockage that caused the heart attack. Because she fell unconscious, she was placed in a chill suit and put into a drug-induced coma to make sure her brain did not swell causing further damage. Five days later she awoke and has been continually improving. She is now back into her usual lifestyle again. Saving Kim is the third time Travis has used the CPR training he learned at the Prague YMCA many years ago. All of the people Travis tried to resuscitate survived.
2013 Heart Hero Award Recipient - Brandon Hall