GREENE COUNTY — A Greene County man collapsed with no pulse at a 5K, and several women jumped into action, keeping him alive long enough for medics to get there.
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Stephanie Elam, of Cedarville, is a runner and signed up for the Ghosts and Goblins 5K in Centerville in October. Her husband, Trent, decided to sign up as well.
Trent said that around the second mile, he started feeling dizzy.
“So I was like, ‘Well, I haven’t ran in a while. I need to scale back,’” he said.
Trent collapsed, and Stephanie was behind him with the while life they built close to crumbling.
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“We got closer, and I saw his shoes, and I said, ‘That’s, that’s my husband,’” Stephanie recalled.
A Centerville officer jumped in to do CPR. Three other runners, who were also medical professionals, also jumped into help.
This week, those four women were honored by the Centerville City Council with a Life Saving Award.
“There’s so many things that ran through my head in that seven minutes that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” Stephanie said. “So just so, so, so, thankful for the people who helped.”
Trent had double-bypass heart surgery. Now, 10 weeks later, he’s recovering well.
“I don’t think that there’s words that can put that into how I feel,” he said, adding that it makes him appreciate what people may take for granted.
“Sometimes, what feels like a big deal, like we kind of catch ourselves now, like that doesn’t matter,” Stephanie said.
A changed perspective thanks to those four women being in the right place, at the right time.
“Every person had a purpose, and they were exactly where they were meant to be, and it worked out exactly in God’s plan,” Stephanie said.
While they haven’t met those heroes yet, Trent knows exactly what he’ll tell them.
“I’m forever grateful for what you did,” he said.
Now, the couple’s focus is on Trent’s recovery and doing more of what makes them happy each day.
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