Lowcountry woman thanks 911 dispatcher for saving her life

It was a heartfelt meeting that was more than eight months in the making, as a Mount Pleasant woman thanked the Charleston County 911 dispatcher who helped save her life.

With a bouquet of flowers in hand, 65-year-old Christine Schaible came to thank 9-1-1 dispatcher Melissa Gill for saving her life.  Schaible went into cardiac arrest in October last year.  Mrs. Schaible says, “All I remember is when I awoke in the hospital.  I actually don’t remember anything about what happened.“  She stopped breathing. Her husband Bob did not know how to perform CPR.  He called 9-1-1.  Mr. Schaible says, “I looked around and she was under the coffee table.  I ran over there to her.  She wasn’t breathing.  I called 9-1-1 and got Melissa.  She said is she on her back? I said no. She said put her on her back.  Lift her neck, put her neck back, check her mouth for food, and put your hand between her breast and the other hand on top, and I’ll count you press, one two three, one two three, she started breathing, and the ambulance was there in 6 minutes.“
 
Emergency dispatcher Melissa Gill took the call and talked Mr. Schaible through administering CPR.  Mr. Schaible says, “Melissa, she was so great. She stayed calm.  I’de be a widower without her.  You know with sudden cardiac arrest, your dead, and Melissa helped bring her back.  I mean when I started pumping, she started breathing.“  Mrs. Schaible says, “We read the statistics on how lucky I was.  How long you have before you’re virtually brain dead.  It’s incredible what Melissa and my husband did, so that’s why we’re here.  It’s long over due.“  Emergency dispatcher Melissa Gill says, “I just think I’m doing my job helping people. I really don’t think of it as saving lives, I guess we do.“  She says it makes her feel good to have someone come into thank her.  Gill says, “It was so sweet.  I really appreciate them coming in.  It was very nice.  It doesn’t happen very often.  We don’t find out any information about the patients after they call in, that’s why this is so rewarding, because we actually got to find out what happened with her.“  Mrs. Schaible says, “It’s very emotional, very emotional, but this is an incredible job that they do.  It’s something nobody ever thinks about,  until it touches you.“

Gill says she receives calls requiring CPR assistance at least once a day.  According to the American Red Cross, 300-thousand people a year have sudden cardiac arrest.  Unless someone performs CPR or uses an AED, Automated External Defibrillator within three minutes, your chances of survival drops to 10-percent.  If you are interested in learning CPR contact the Lowcountry Red Cross at 843-764-2323.  Classes range from 65 to 95-dollars, but they do offer scholarships based on income levels.