FARMINGTON HILL, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 93-year-old Farmington Hills man is alive today thanks in part to a fellow gym member who performed CPR after he suffered a massive heart attack at the YMCA.
Russ Loomis collapsed on October 31 while exercising at the Farmington Hills YMCA, where he typically bikes three times a week for more than an hour at a time. The active 93-year-old said something didn't feel right that morning.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
"I said I don't feel well. I said I could only stay on there for 20 minutes today and walked over and fell down," Loomis said.
Melissa Gedrich, a mother and fellow YMCA member, was walking into the gym when she saw Loomis collapse. She immediately began performing CPR.
"I bent down, I measured where my hands were supposed to go and I just started doing compressions," Gedrich said.
The timing proved crucial. Gedrich had completed a CPR course just five days before the incident. She was also running late to the gym that morning, arriving at 10 a.m. instead of her usual earlier time.
"10 o'clock is late for me to come to the gym, but I came anyway because I said I'm here, I'm out, I'm going to get my workout in," Gedrich said.
Loomis said the quick response saved his life. Heart disease runs in his family, claiming the lives of his grandparents, parents and several aunts and uncles.
"If she would've been three minutes later, we wouldn't be talking," Loomis said. "If I ever had it, I thought well I'm gone, just like everybody else had been."
When asked why he believes he survived, Loomis credited Gedrich without hesitation.
"Because of Melissa," he said.
Gedrich never expected to use her newly learned CPR skills so soon after training.
"Never. Never, never, never," she said when asked if she thought she would save someone's life just days after completing the course.
YMCA spokesperson Latitia McCree-Thomas says they're thankful Gerich got to Loomis so quickly. Several YMCA team members also jumped in to takeover after her and they were able to use the AED before paramedics arrived.
"Safety is a priority. It's embedded in what we do in our core values of caring, honestly, respect and responsibility. And because of that ,we partner with the American Red Cross to ensure that the majority of our staff are trained in CPR and AED," McCree-Thomas said.
Now Gedrich is sharing her story to encourage others to learn CPR.
"Just get the tools, take the class, so that you know how to do it so you can save someone's life possibly one day also," Gedrich said.
Loomis continues to recover and says he's getting better every day. He's also grateful for his newfound friendship with Gedrich, the woman who saved his life.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
