CPR At White Marsh Mall Saves Man's Life

WHITE MARSH, MD — A man and his wife helped save a man's life in the White Marsh Mall this week. The response was automatic, according to Wes Thatcher.

"There was a woman yelling 'Dad, dad, dad!'" Thatcher said. He saw a man lying on his back near the food court, unresponsive.

"I knew he needed help, and I knew that time was critical," Thatcher told Patch.

It was around 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 21.

Thatcher's wife, who works in the medical field as an occupational therapist, checked for a pulse. There was none. He checked to see if the man was breathing. He was not.

"It all happened very fast," he said.

Thatcher said he learned CPR about four years ago through Boy Scout Troop 355. His grandsons had been part of the troop.

"I just thought if something ever happened, I'd have the training," he said. About a year ago, he got re-certified and said this week his skills kicked in right away.

"I didn't have to think about it," he said. "I just knew what to do."

After he had been performing CPR for about four or five minutes, he said someone brought a defibrillator. He and his wife, who is also CPR certified, hooked the patches onto the man.

With the first shock, nothing happened. The machine said to resume CPR. Then it directed him to give the victim a second shock, indicating there was no heart rate.

"In about 10 seconds, his eyes opened up," Thatcher said, after the second shock. "He was looking at me, I was looking at him to see how he was responding, and then he started to want to move; and I said, 'Don't move, sir. Please stay where you are.'"

The man's daughter had called 911, and Thatcher said he tried to help him stay calm until the paramedics arrived and took over. Then Thatcher said that he and his wife saw the man being wheeled out on a gurney.

"I'm glad for the family that he’s alive and well, and that they're going to have a nice holiday, which is really a blessing for them," Thatcher said.

Russell Williams, 65, told Fox 45 that he was Christmas shopping with his daughter when he felt dizzy and lost his vision.

"I've always done what I had to do to serve the public," Williams, a retired trooper with Maryland State Police, told the news station, adding he was "...never thinking that I would be the one needing it."

His story was featured on Fox 45, with the headline: "Christmas Miracle at White Marsh Mall."

Thatcher did not anticipate the response that he and his wife received after word spread on Facebook.

"I was surprised by all this attention," he told Patch on Christmas Eve. "I did it to help someone, and the outcome was very good. I never expected this kind of response."

His message to others: "I think everybody should consider getting trained in CPR," said Thatcher. "It could possibly save somebody's life."

The Thatchers will meet Williams on Jan. 3 at a ceremony hosted by Troop 355 in Essex, according to Fox 45.

For those interested in learning, see upcoming CPR classes offered by the Red Cross.

File photo by Elizabeth Janney.