HONESDALE — Roman Matlaga, an emergency room physician at Wayne Memorial Hospital finally received his “People Saving People” award from the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation that was awarded to him last month in Las Vegas, but he was unable to receive in person.  The award was initially received on his behalf by the person he rescued, David Belkin, of Bethesda, MD.

This Sunday, at a small ceremony in Honesdale, surrounded by the company of teammates, friends, and family, Belkin presented Matlaga the award, as well as a portable AED unit for Matlaga to donate to the establishment or organization of his choice.

Matlaga was nominated for the award for saving Belkin’s life not in the E.R., but on the basketball court on a Sunday morning just like every other Sunday. 
Matlaga and a number of friends play basketball every Sunday, in the summer in the backyard of Henry Skier in Honesdale, and in the winter in the gym of Lakeside Elementary. 

The morning of February 18th, 2007 was the first time Belkin had ever met the people he was playing with, and “knew them only as first names,” says Belkin.  However, when Belkin suffered a sudden heart attack after sinking a once-in-a-lifetime fade-away shot, everyone on the court worked together and sprang into action.  “It was really a team effort,” Matlaga told The Wayne Independent.

Matlaga, who was sitting out on the bench after a bad game when Belkin collapsed, immediately began directing the others on what to do.  He and another player, Jim Lengner, began doing CPR and rescue breathing, while a third, Joey Cordaro, ran to find an AED, an automated external defibrillator.

Coincidentally, there happened to be a church service going on next to the gym in the school’s cafeteria and, asking if anyone knew if and where the school had an AED, Kipp Welsh and Cordaro were able to find one and take it to Belkin, where it was used, and saved his life. 

With one shock Belkin’s heart was restarted in a normal rhythm and within minutes he was awake and able to talk.  “This rarely happens, even in the hospital, and under the best conditions,” said Matlaga.  However, it worked, and, as the inscription on the award says, “To save one life is to save the world.”

Belkin says he owes a huge debt of gratitude not only to Matlaga, but to a woman named Rachel Moyer, who lives a stone’s throw away in Shawnee-on-Delaware in Monroe County, and whose son Gregory died on playing basketball at a school near Lakeside in 2000.  Since then she has become a champion of the movement to put AEDs in schools, and was a major influence in the PA state legislation that provided two AEDs to every school district.

Furthermore, former and Wayne Highlands School District superintendents, Paul Edwards and Tom Jenkins, respectively, took the legislation a step further and ensured that every school in the district had one.  Belkin has now assumed this movement as his cause, saying that, “Schools are really community buildings, night and day and year round, and we usually assume that we’d be fine having them just in the high schools, forgetting that not just little kids use these buildings.”

And while Matlaga is a physician and saves lives on a regular basis, to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, he commented, “Anyone can save a life.  All it takes is the courage to take action.” 

In the words of the great Ralph Waldo Emerson, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” 

Anyone interested on more information on giving to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation can find them on the web at www.sca-aware.org.  For information on taking CPR training classes, call the American Heart Association’s Customer Service Line at 1-877-AHA-4CPR.  For some quick life-saving tips, visit the American Heart Association’s website at www.americanheart.org.

What to do if you witness a heartattack

Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.  If you or someone you know is having a heartattack, every second counts.  Here are some quick steps to increasing their chances of survival: 

1. The first and most important step is to call 911.  Even if you are not sure it is a heart attack, call anyway.  The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says that clot-busting and/or artery opening drugs can “stop a heart attack in its tracks,” but they need to be administered within an hour of the start of the symptoms to be most effective.

2. If the person is unconscious, begin CPR and rescue breathing until EMS arrives.  Often times, the 911 operator will instruct you on how to perform CPR if you are not trained.  For a quick reference guide, visit depts.washington.edu/learncpr/quickcpr.html, but a training course is the best way to go.

3. Send someone to find an AED, if possible.  AEDs, if properly maintained, will give even a layperson very clear and simple instructions on how to use it.  However, it should again be noted that it is easy and valuable to be trained on how to use one. 
However, before there any signs or symptoms of a heart attack, prepare.  Take CPR and AED classes, know where there are AEDs in your school or home, talk to your doctor about your risks for having a heart attack, make a list of people to call if you suddenly thought you were having a heart attack, and make a list of all the medications you are taking and allergic to and keep it in your wallet or purse.  

The above information was compiled from the websites for The American Heart Association, The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and The American Red Cross.  Please note that these are only guidelines, and any good plan of action come from the mouth of a trained professional.