Stefan Muehlbauer saves wife Tiffany’s life thanks to CPR training
By STU CLAMPITT
“On April 11, Stefan Muehlbauer graduated from the HCEM Community Emergency Response Team Training,” Hamilton County Emergency Management Executive Director Shane Booker told The Reporter. “Little did he know that four months later, he would rely on his training that would forever change his life.”
In July, Stefan and Tiffany were at work when a minor accident turned life-threatening. After a fall, Stefan realized Tiffany was not breathing and did not have a pulse. He relied on his training by remaining calm, calling 911, and immediately starting CPR. When medics arrived, they took over and transported her to the hospital, where after 21 minutes she was revived. Today, Tiffany is back to work and doing well.
At the Hamilton County Emergency Operations Center on Friday, the Muehlbauers met the dispatcher who took the call that day and Stefan was given a Life Saving Award from HCEM.
Reporter photo by Stu Clampitt
When asked to tell their story, Tiffany laughed and said, “I was just along for the ride.”
“Which is actually a running joke in our home,” Stefan said. “Tiffany says, ‘I had the easy part. I was down. I was back up. Now I’m feeling great.’”
There is, however, a fair bit more to their story. The Muehlbauers own a small business and were on a jobsite when Tiffany’s heart stopped.
“Tiffany took a step backward and stumbled over an object and hit her head on the back on the driveway,” Stefan said. “Immediately, from her eyes being opened, I could see something was just not right. On a whim I had joined CERT [Community Emergency Response Team] in February of this year because I thought it was reckless not knowing first aid and CPR and all of those things. I thought it would be a good thing to learn in case I needed it. It was good.”
Thanks to his CERT training, when Stefan realized Tiffany was not breathing and had no pulse, he knew exactly what to do. He told the nearest person to call 911 while he began performing CPR. Nate Nelson took the call and the first responders were on site within minutes.
According to both Muehlbauers, the first responding officer was a police officer who delivered three shocks to Tiffany using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Stefan and the officer then took turns performing CPR until paramedics arrived and reestablished a heartbeat.
“We received the greatest care at every step along the way,” Stefan told The Reporter. “From the 911 call coming in until just a week later being released from Ascension St. Vincent on 86th Street. The care has just been tremendous.”
Tiffany responded to every question with humor. “Everybody keeps telling me I’m a miracle, but I just didn’t know I was supposed to stay down, so I just keep going.”
According to Stefan, when he was talking to doctors, they told him Tiffany is still here because of CPR.
“I just wish that more people would learn it,” Stefan said. “It definitely saves lives.”
The day Tiffany was released from the hospital was the Muehlbauers’ 20-year wedding anniversary.
There was no history of heart problems with either Tiffany herself or in her family history. According to the Muehlbauers, doctors told them her heart stopped as a result of the head injury.
“I’m just thrilled that Hamilton County EMA were there and the amazing people in Westfield,” Tiffany said. “Everyone needs to learn CPR. It does save lives. And it would be great if Hamilton County could invest more in AEDs – and more businesses as well. They are not that expensive.”
In addition to the Life Saving Award, Stefan and Tiffany Muehlbauer also met the man who took that 911 call: Nate Nelson.
Nelson has worked for Hamilton County EMA for 10 years. He has been a dispatcher for a total of 21 years. He told The Reporter this was the first time he had ever been able to meet a patient after a call.
Reporter photo by Stu Clampitt
Booker called all the 911 dispatchers the sentries for Hamilton County.
“They stand there ready,” Booker said. “They go through all this extensive training and they are ready to pick up the phone at any given moment. But no one thinks about what they have to go through with another person on the other end of the phone.”
According to Hamilton County Public Safety Communications Director of Operations Larken Uhrick, getting to know the outcome of one of these calls is expectational and rare.
“It’s like reading a book and you get clear to the last chapter, but you never know what happens to that patient afterwards,” Uhrick said. “It’s nice to celebrate this because we can see what happened and celebrate that there was a happy ending.”
Terrific outcome. Agree that we all should know CPR. Seems there should be classes offered & made easily available.