‘It’s a miracle’: Man says nurse saved his life after suffering a heart attack at the airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - A nurse in North Carolina is being praised for saving a man’s life at an airport.

The medical emergency took place in the early hours of June 7 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Claire Cerbie is a registered nurse who used to work at Atrium Health’s Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in Charlotte.

On June 7, she said she was waiting at the gate for a flight to Knoxville, Tennessee when she noticed a man suffering a heart attack nearby.

The man, 57-year-old Ken Jeffries from Jacksonville, Florida, was also traveling to Knoxville when he experienced the heart attack.

Jeffries and Cerbie recently reconnected in a Zoom call with WBTV. Cerbie recounted the situation and explained what happened.

“Just the way that you were snoring and breathing sounded like you were having a heart attack based on what I’ve seen before,” she told Jeffries.

Cerbie then explained how she jumped into action and got other people nearby to help. She said she led the group in performing CPR, and someone else grabbed a defibrillator.

“We put the pads on him,” Cerbie said. “It indicated a shockable rhythm, and it shocked him in between while we were doing compressions.”

Cerbie said the group of good Samaritans worked on Jeffries for about 10 minutes and helped him regain a pulse.

“He had his own rhythm. He was breathing on his own and we kind of just stayed by him until the paramedics arrived,” the nurse said.

Jeffries was rushed to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center where Dr. William Downey, a cardiologist at the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, performed surgery.

According to Downey, Jeffries would have died if Cerbie and others had not jumped in to help him.

“It’s a miracle that I was at that place at that time when it happened and the people around me are there,” Jeffries said.

Cerbie said the chest compressions and defibrillator were crucial in keeping him alive.

Airport officials said there are approximately 35 defibrillators in the airport and more will be installed next year.

Jeffries is now recovering and thankful for Cerbie and the others who saved his life.

“A ‘thank you’ is not enough, Claire. Thank you for what you did,” he told her. “I am so appreciative and indebted to you.”

Cerbie said she was glad she was able to help during the emergency situation.

“I’m very glad that I was there that day to help you out,” she told Jeffries. “I’d obviously do it again in a heartbeat. I’m so happy to see that you’re doing so well.”

Jeffries said he didn’t notice any signs or symptoms associated with heart attacks prior to his cardiac arrest.

Downey said heart attacks can be prevented by avoiding smoking, exercising regularly, eating a Mediterranean diet, controlling blood pressure and optimizing cholesterol.

After she sprung into action, Cerbie was upgraded to First Class on her flight to Knoxville.

Copyright 2024 WBTV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.