Fitness Club Members Save Man's Life During Cycling Class

People go to the gym to workout, getting the heart pumping and staying healthy, but one man is feeling very blessed after things went awry in his cycling class.

Jerry Budai, 62, is a member of Wellbridge Athletic Club and Spa in Clayton.  He went into cardiac arrest during a cycling class at the club and collapsed on his bike on April 20.

Shelly Bittle, the class instructor, along with three of its members, who all happen to be in the medical field, went into action to stabilize Budai.  

The City of Clayton and its fire department recently honored the group for its actions on May 28. 

When Budai collapsed, Bittle said she quickly applied the emergency training procedures the club has in place. She said the three people that helped her, Robert Barrack and Nikoleta Kolovos, both doctors; along with Lisa Simani-Oren helped her to assess Budai and recognize his symptoms as those of someone in  sudden cardiac arrest. Budai had no pulse and wasn’t breathing, according to a Wellbridge statement. 

“It’s vital that the heart return to normal rhythm as soon as possible in the event of cardiac arrest, as a few seconds can be the difference between life and death,” Greg McCarthy, the Clayton location's general manager said.

Budai was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital.