Local Woman Helps Save Man With CPR

March 2, 2012 6:00 PM

(Credit: KDKA)

Reporting Susan Koeppen

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BELLEVUE (KDKA) — During KDKA-TV’s 5 p.m. newscast on Nov. 3, Donna Fryer was watching a story on how to give CPR.

Little did she know that she would use what she learned in that story just six days later.

When Donna walked out of a CVS store in Bellevue and heard people yelling for help, she came running.

“I crossed the street to see what was going on, and there was a young man holding an older man’s head off the pavement,” recalls Fryer.

The man had fallen and was unconscious.

“All of a sudden the young man said, ‘He’s not breathing; he’s not breathing,’” she said.

Fryer asked if anyone knew CPR, and when no one responded, she did what she learned during that story on KDKA.

Press as hard as you can… 30 compressions, and then two breaths.

“I was counting in my head and praying like crazy that this would help and all of a sudden when I got to 25 compressions the young man said he’s breathing, he’s breathing again. And I was just so thankful to hear those words,” says Fryer.

At that point, the ambulance arrived and first responders took over.

“Truthfully, I am not sure I would have had the confidence to try and help if I had not seen that refresher on how to do CPR,” said Fryer.

Because of privacy laws, information on the condition of the man who was on the ground has not been released, but Fryer says he was alert and talking when he was loaded into the ambulance.

It’s been more than a decade since Fryer was certified in CPR and she says she will go get certified now.