RAF Mildenhall sergeant saved by peers after heart attack at gym

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  When RAF Mildenhall firefighters Staff Sgt. Jacob Silvia and Anthony Nichols responded to the Hardstand Fitness Center Aug. 26, they expected to find an unconscious individual by a treadmill.

What they found was the chance to save a life.

Sergeant Silvia recalls walking up to the gym anticipating giving oxygen to an alert and conscious man based on the situation report he was given by his dispatcher. The first responder said when he and Firefighter Nichols approached the entry, they were met by someone with a different story.

"When we got there, there was someone outside who said 'He's not too good,'" Sergeant Silvia recalled. "Your mind starts to change," he said of hearing that.

When he entered the fitness center the first thing he heard told him the gravity of the situation. An electronic tone from an automated defibrillator said "shock advised."

It only says that when there's a "shockable rhythm," which is no heart rhythm, Sergeant Silvia explained.

The scene before them was Staff Sgt. Mehalic Blair, 48th Aeromedical Dental Squadron, applying the automated defibrillator to Tech. Sgt. Douglas Ludman, 352nd Operations Support Squadron. Sergeant Ludman had suffered a heart attack while working out on the treadmill.

According to Sergeant Silvia, Sergeant Blair's actions may have been the deciding factor in Sergeant Ludman's survival.

"[Cardiopulmonary resuscitation] helps keep the blood oxygenated, supplying oxygen to the brain and the rest of his organs," the firefighter said. The shock from the defibrillator restored his heart's blood-pumping pulse.

Sergeant Ludman had no pulse and wasn't breathing, Sergeant Silvia said. After shocking him with the defibrillator, the two emergency responders and Sergeant Blair, who is assigned to the RAF Mildenhall Health and Wellness Center, began CPR.

Once Sergeant Ludman had been revived, his rescuers took care of him until an Advanced Life Support team from Suffolk could take over and transfer him to more substantial care.

Sergeant Blair, who acts as a nutrition consultant at the HAWC, said he has no more training in CPR than anyone who's taken the required Air Force course on it. He said to use the procedure and see it save a life is "unreal."

Perhaps even more unreal were the facts unbeknownst to Sergeant Ludman's rescuers as they worked to bring him back to life. His wife, Amy, was pregnant with their second daughter, due to give birth at any time.

"I am incredibly indebted for my life and chance to see my newest little girl, Alana Ruth Ludman," Sergeant Ludman stated in an e-mail. The 32-year-old sergeant said he's recovering nicely, though he faces future surgeries.

"My family was incredibly relieved and elated to find out I would pull through the ordeal," Sergeant Ludman added. "A nurse at RAF Lakenheath actually told me that I had a less than 1 percent chance of surviving the heart attack with the situation it occurred."

Sergeant Ludman said he feels indebted to everyone who helped him and his family through their ordeal, but is especially grateful to those who took the necessary steps in the first few minutes and truly made the difference between life and death.

"I don't know that there ever will be words to describe how I feel about the events of that afternoon," he said. "Hero may seem like a strong word, but when viewed through the eyes of someone who would have never held his second daughter without those actions, it doesn't seem strong enough."

Amy Ludman said the event has affected her outlook on life.

"Something like this makes you realize how precious life is," she stated in an e-mail. "It's taken a while to realize how serious of an event this was. We are all tremendously grateful to the medical personnel who contributed to the recovery of my husband and hope that he continues to make good progress."

Editor's note: CPR/First Aid Certification classes are available for $45 Oct. 10 and 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those interested should contact the local Red Cross office at DSN 238-2107.