A Juniata County native emphasizes the importance of CPR training

JUNAITA COUNTY, PA (WHTM) — February is American heart month, and it holds more meaning for a Juniata County man. He suffered a cardiac arrest at work and was saved with the help of his colleagues and the emergency services.

Now he wants people to know the importance of being trained in CPR.

“And the last thing I remember is standing up and my colleague heard the reel spinning in my chair and heard a thud,” Sydney Freyermuth said.

On June 24, 2019, Sidney Freyermuth suffered a cardiac arrest at work, which he’s still feeling four years later.

“They tried CPR and then they hit you with the shock, apparently I couldn’t get past” Sidney Freyermuth.

After Sidney fell, his colleagues performed CPR until paramedics arrived. He was then taken for further examination by Dr. William Apollo taken to UPMC Harrisburg.

“Sidney is lucky to have recovered from this event and returned to normal life.” William Apollo is a cardiologist at UPMC Harrisburg.

According to the American Heart Association, 436,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest in one year alone. And for Dr. Apollo, UPMC is not the only hero in this story.

“I think one of the things that greatly affected his chances of survival was the fact that he had colleagues who knew how to perform CPR,” said Dr. Apollo.

Sydney wanted to meet the team that saved his life and encourage others to get CPR training as soon as possible.

“Everyone should learn how to perform CPR and effective CPR, and also learn how to do or use an AED properly, you never know when these events may occur and it could result in saving someone’s life said Dr. Apollo.