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West Frankfort man receives the ultimate gift for holidays

By Tara Fasol, The Southern

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 8:26 PM CST

WEST FRANKFORT - Today, Cris Gayer will spend time with his family and enjoy the greatest gift he has ever received - the gift of life.

One day last week, Gayer, 60, of Orient felt pressure in his chest but was reluctant to seek treatment.

In the morning, crews at the West Frankfort Fire Department were sitting in a four-hour class, learning about procedures for specific types of cardiac problems, including the type of arrest that Gayer would suffer later that night.

"I called my wife and said I didn't feel good and my chest was tight," Gayer said. "I didn't hurt any. She called my neighbor."

Gayer's neighbor called 911.

The call came out over the intercom at the West Frankfort Fire Department.

"We got the call for chest pain," Lt. Craig Lemmon said. "He was having chest pain and it was a pressing chest pain and it wasn't really like typical chest pain. He was up and walking around and was kind of reluctant to go at first. We talked him into going."

Gayer said he walked out to the ambulance and that is the last thing he remembers until waking up several days later in Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.

"Once we did an EKG on him, we could tell something was going on," Lemmon said. "About a quarter of the way there, I heard my partner in the back talking to him. I heard my partner saying, 'Hey Cris ? Cris ?' and he had gone unconscious."

Lemmon was driving the ambulance and his partner, Jon Alexander, was in back with Gayer. He pulled the ambulance over in the street and jumped in back.

"We just parked in the road," he said. "I could tell he had stopped breathing and was unconscious."

A defibrillator was used to shock Gayer's heart back into rhythm.

"We got his pulse back," Lemmon said. "We called Derek Sailliez to drive the ambulance and me and Jon stayed in back with him."

The ambulance took Gayer to Herrin Hospital, where another ambulance picked him up and transported him to Carbondale. Lemmon said a preparation program was initiated in advance so doctors were waiting for Gayer when he arrived.

Gayer received stents and cauterization but did not require open heart surgery.

"He didn't have any brain damage," Lemmon said. "He's back at home for the holidays. He told me he feels like he is 10 days old because he died in the ambulance. I asked him if that changes anything. He told me that it changes everything. We were in the right place at the right time with the right training. A month ago, he would have died."

It was only that long ago when firefighters went online with an advanced level of care that allowed them to administer cardiac drugs and treatments.

"Our upgrading this ambulance service saved his life," Lemmon said.

Gayer said his life was changed and he gives all the "glory" to the heroes who came to his rescue.

"This looks so much prettier," he said. "I see the trees and the leaves and the grass. It is so much ? you just never realize how beautiful things are until you can't see them. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. They need another ambulance. They need more men. They get the praise for this. You can't get any better than this. I'm alive."

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com / 351-5824