MONROE - When 62-year-old Orfordville resident Donald Day Jr. began a trip from his feed store to Blain's Farm and Fleet on July 9, he felt fine.
"I remember starting my day, and then driving to Farm and Fleet, but after that I don't remember anything else," Day said. "I passed out and wasn't up until the next day."
Day fell in the store, but not because he tripped; he had a massive heart attack.
Blain's assistant manager Nick Schneider and local nurse Mary Kay Zemlicka saved his life.
Around 6 p.m. that Saturday, Schneider said, he was at his desk when an associate ran into the office, explaining a customer had fallen. Schneider responded, checked for a pulse and then went to the in-store automated external defibrillator.
"By the time I got to him, he had defibbed and he was dead," said Schneider, who had trained as a firefighter. "I started opening the AED machine to use after checking his pulse."
As Schneider was turning on the machine, Zemlicka arrived to help -Zemlicka's husband had been in the store and went outside to fetch her. Between the two, they switched off compressing Day's chest while waiting for the AED to read vitals and instruct them to send a charge.
The first charge shocked Day, but nothing happened. The duo proceeded with motions, waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
"I guess that second time I shocked him kind of did it," Schneider said. "After that, I lost him again and that's when the EMTs came in."
Eventually, Day was transported to Madison where he underwent triple bypass surgery. According to the report results from the machine, the second shock was indeed what kept Day alive long enough to receive more extensive treatment. Schneider said the report read that "inaction would have resulted in death."
As a company, Blain's has marked Day's as the sixth life saved with an in-store AED, Blain's Public Relations Manager Kristin Mickelson said in a press release.
Since the day his life was saved, Day said he has been recovering well. After the surgery, he has been resting, but would prefer to get back to full days of work at his store, Day's Feed and Supply LLC. Currently, Day spends about four hours a day answering phones and taking orders. He still has 15 weeks of physical therapy ahead and has been working on other aspects of his health despite being unable to do any heavy lifting.
While management of Blain's is trained in both CPR and the use of the portable defibrillator, it was a new experience for Schneider, who has never had to use the AED in 19 years with the retailer. He said he is proud of what he and Zemlicka accomplished that day in the store.
"This gentleman needed me to help, and luckily the odds worked out in our favor," Schneider said. "I'd hope somebody would do it for me. I'm glad he gets to see another day, another holiday and all that good stuff."
Day, who has four children and seven grandchildren, expressed his gratitude to everyone during a reception at the Monroe store in Sept. 28. During the reception, Schneider and Zemlicka received the American Heart Association Heartsaver Hero Award for the "courageous act in an effort to save a life."
"I'm thankful for everything right now," Day said. "I said 'I owe my life to all of you. Without you, I wouldn't be here.'"
"I remember starting my day, and then driving to Farm and Fleet, but after that I don't remember anything else," Day said. "I passed out and wasn't up until the next day."
Day fell in the store, but not because he tripped; he had a massive heart attack.
Blain's assistant manager Nick Schneider and local nurse Mary Kay Zemlicka saved his life.
Around 6 p.m. that Saturday, Schneider said, he was at his desk when an associate ran into the office, explaining a customer had fallen. Schneider responded, checked for a pulse and then went to the in-store automated external defibrillator.
"By the time I got to him, he had defibbed and he was dead," said Schneider, who had trained as a firefighter. "I started opening the AED machine to use after checking his pulse."
As Schneider was turning on the machine, Zemlicka arrived to help -Zemlicka's husband had been in the store and went outside to fetch her. Between the two, they switched off compressing Day's chest while waiting for the AED to read vitals and instruct them to send a charge.
The first charge shocked Day, but nothing happened. The duo proceeded with motions, waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
"I guess that second time I shocked him kind of did it," Schneider said. "After that, I lost him again and that's when the EMTs came in."
Eventually, Day was transported to Madison where he underwent triple bypass surgery. According to the report results from the machine, the second shock was indeed what kept Day alive long enough to receive more extensive treatment. Schneider said the report read that "inaction would have resulted in death."
As a company, Blain's has marked Day's as the sixth life saved with an in-store AED, Blain's Public Relations Manager Kristin Mickelson said in a press release.
Since the day his life was saved, Day said he has been recovering well. After the surgery, he has been resting, but would prefer to get back to full days of work at his store, Day's Feed and Supply LLC. Currently, Day spends about four hours a day answering phones and taking orders. He still has 15 weeks of physical therapy ahead and has been working on other aspects of his health despite being unable to do any heavy lifting.
While management of Blain's is trained in both CPR and the use of the portable defibrillator, it was a new experience for Schneider, who has never had to use the AED in 19 years with the retailer. He said he is proud of what he and Zemlicka accomplished that day in the store.
"This gentleman needed me to help, and luckily the odds worked out in our favor," Schneider said. "I'd hope somebody would do it for me. I'm glad he gets to see another day, another holiday and all that good stuff."
Day, who has four children and seven grandchildren, expressed his gratitude to everyone during a reception at the Monroe store in Sept. 28. During the reception, Schneider and Zemlicka received the American Heart Association Heartsaver Hero Award for the "courageous act in an effort to save a life."
"I'm thankful for everything right now," Day said. "I said 'I owe my life to all of you. Without you, I wouldn't be here.'"