John Schiemer, 19, brought back to life after desperate CPR effort from his parents
John Schiemer, 19, was fit when he suffered a cardiac arrest in bed in April. Shocked and distressed, his parents acted quickly but despite being technically dead for 24 minutes, he woke from an induced coma a week later. HEAR THE TRIPLE-0 CALL
NSW
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When Heath Schiemer found his fit 19-year-old son dying of a cardiac arrest at 4.30am, he burst into tears — but then saved his life.
Heath and his wife Jenny heard their only son John moan and found him face-down in bed with “his eyes rolling back and his tongue out” on April 29.
“Heath started to cry and I was lost for words, which for me never happens,” Mrs Schiemer said.
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But they quickly composed themselves and sprung into action.
“I was in shock but I thought, ‘He’s not going to die, he has to be OK, he’s 19’,” Mr Schiemer said.
He began CPR as his wife called triple-0.
“I still recall blowing into his lungs … I started on the compressions and after a couple of them he started to try to breathe but wasn’t breathing on his own,” Mr Schiemer said.
Paramedics believe apprentice concreter John was without oxygen for up to 24 minutes but, after a week in hospital in a coma, is now OK.
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Heath and Jenny have been nominated for a Pride of Australia award, to recognise their brave actions under pressure, and together with John have marked Wednesday’s World Restart a Heart Day by urging everyone to learn CPR.
John has since been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in which an extra electrical pathway to the heart causes complications, often in fit young men.
John said he cannot remember his ordeal but now uses it to avoid doing chores.
“They try to get me to do stuff and I say ‘I died you know’,” John said.
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan has pleaded for more people to learn CPR which can be as simple as knowing the “call, push, shock” mantra.
“Call paramedics, push on the chest and use public accessible defibrillator, it can make an incredible difference,” Mr Morgan said.
“So one thing is we definitely know is CPR keeps the hearts electrical rhythm going longer for paramedics to shock it.”