Hero Fitness Center Staff Saves Elderly Man's Life

PALOS HILLS, IL -- Anne Rangel, a senior at Shepard High School and a lifeguard and swim instructor for Moraine Valley Community College’s fitness center noticed something wasn’t right about with an older patron in the pool. Rangel was setting up the lanes for a swim class last January when she noticed Leonard Martz, a Worth man in his eighties, was having some trouble in the water.

“Leonard was swimming a little, kicking a little, treading a little, and he would pop up each time,” Rangel said, who is enrolled in the college’s dual enrollment CNA program. “Then I noticed he didn’t pop up. I also noticed there were no signs of struggle, but I went to check on him.”

When Rangel tapped Martz on the shoulder, he didn’t respond nor when she flipped him on his back. That’s when staff at MVCC’s FitRec Center sprang into action. Rangel’s resuscitation efforts combined with Sgt. James Twohill’s compressions and building manager Peter Herrera’s use of an automated external defibrillator kept Martz going until EMTs arrived at the scene.

“At first I was scared he wasn’t going to be ok, but later I learned he was doing really well. I felt great that I could help,” the Palos Heights teen said.

Staff at MVCC’s Health, Fitness & Recreation Center (FitRec) are trained to provide a professional and quick response to medical emergencies. The fruit of that labor paid off in the way of life-saving efforts when a member went into cardiac arrest.

“Nothing is more important or more of a priority for our staff training,” said Mike Schneider, director of Campus Recreation. “Knowing our volume usage and that many of our members are older adults, we knew the likelihood of a medical emergency occurring in our facility would be ‘when’ not ‘if.’ That’s why we train and review our CPR, first aid and medical response plan. In addition, we do random mock scenario emergency training, and we audit the staff at position trainings throughout the year.”

Rangel, Sgt. Twohill and Herrera, along with Angel Rivera, entrance attendant, and Dan Ochenkowski, building manager, were honored with Life Saver Awards from the FitRec.

“I’m very proud that these young adults used their training, stayed calm and ultimately saved Leonard’s life,” Schneider said. “They never panicked, they never stopped assisting—they all worked together as a team and performed at such a high level to produce a wonderful outcome.”