Carl and Barbara Ueland were having a nice evening with friends at a dinner at the Fresno Convention Center, and then in an instant everything changed. While they were walking to the car, Barbara had a heart attack. Carl put her in the car and drove quickly to Community Regional Medical Center’s emergency department. Security guard Aaron Clark helped get her inside. Once there, the care team couldn’t find Barbara’s pulse. They called a Code Blue. The team started working on her with paddles. Someone asked – how many more times with the paddles?  She must have heard and fought harder because then she had a pulse!

As amazing as it may seem Barbara Ueland survived her heart attack! Not only survived, but without any brain damage. However, she wouldn’t if not for the outstanding trauma team, who do what they do best, so many times – save lives! It would be a long road to recovery. From emergency, to ICU to telemetry, it really takes a lot of teamwork.

Her husband Carl was so grateful for the outstanding care and quick work of those in the emergency department; he arranged a get-together and thanked them personally. Many times the emergency department staff doesn’t get to see the miracles they help make happen but not in this case.  Barbara was alive to talk about it and thank the team.  She was very thankful that the truly talented emergency department team was there for her in her time of need.  She is grateful for her life.

The team in the emergency department said that it’s a rare occasion when someone actually comes back and thanks them.  It really gives them a sense of what they do really matters when they see the family together and going on and appreciating the life that they have been given.
 

Eddie Padilla PCA, Noe Navarro RT, Michael Grazier M.D., Rebecca Castro R.N., Barbara Ueland, Carl Ueland, Dawn Hopkins NP, Scott De Shields M.D., Aaron Clark, Security

Cathy Hendrickson
Development Coordinator
Community Medical Foundation