他在散步时心脏停止了跳动. 一个懂得心肺复苏术的骑车人救了他的命.

A week after Christopher 霍尔顿 got a clean bill of health from his doctor at his annual physical, 他每天都要在离家不远的一条树林小径上散步.

霍尔顿, a 52-year-old former youth football league coach and multiple-mile-a-day walker, 沿着梅卡尼克斯维尔的小路蜿蜒而行, 马里兰, 这在跑步和骑自行车的人中很受欢迎. 大多数时候他和朋友一起散步. 去年8月的那个星期六，他的伙伴们很忙.

霍尔顿 powered along the path at his usual brisk pace, then started walking back to his car. 他把车停在附近的老年中心.

布莱恩·巴克利 also was out that morning cycling the trail for the first time with his friend Isang Isang. As Buckley pedaled along the path, Isang saw a man up ahead wobble, then collapse. 是霍尔顿.

“我们加快速度，从自行车上跳下来,巴克利说。, a public health researcher with emergency training from his days as a lifeguard.

巴克利揉了揉霍尔顿的背. 他没有回应. 他的嘴唇在流血，手在颤抖. 巴克利让伊桑打911.

他们在等救护车的时候, 霍尔顿开始喘不过气来，眼睛开始呆滞.

"Then there's this moment where he gives one really big gasp," Buckley said. “这看起来是他的最后一张."

Buckley already had been monitoring 霍尔顿's pulse by keeping a finger on his wrist. 在这一点上，它消失了. Buckley started the stopwatch function on his smartwatch, then began giving chest compressions. The timer was important because once paramedics arrived, he could tell them how long he'd been at it.

Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered, including a woman who said she knew 心肺复苏. 巴克利让她训练任何愿意帮忙的旁观者. 巴克利一累，一个旁观者就插嘴了. 他们中的一些人继续这样走了20分钟，直到救援到来.

“我们都在说，‘加油，加油，伙计，’”巴克利说.

救护车停了下来，医护人员冲到霍尔顿身边. "It was this moment of relief that finally help is here," Buckley said. “我对自己说，‘活下去，先生!'"

急救人员使用了自动体外除颤器, 或AED, 电击霍尔顿的心脏让它恢复跳动. 目前还不清楚它是否有效. 他们把他抬上救护车开走了.

巴克利和伊桑默默地骑完车. 他们想知道霍尔顿是否还好. Buckley felt emotional about the experience and called his wife and mother. 他以为他刚看到有人死了.

“那真是一个悲伤的夜晚，”他说.

第二个星期，巴克利接到了一个救援队官员的电话. 警官告诉他，霍尔顿还活着.

“我太高兴了，”巴克利说.

霍尔顿 was still in the hospital trying to piece together what happened. Even now, all he remembers is leaving his house and then finding himself in a hospital bed.

“当我在重症监护室醒来时, 我被注射了大量镇静剂，我不知道我在那里呆了多少天,霍尔顿说. 是14.

在医院里，医生没有发现霍尔顿的心脏堵塞. 他在路上心脏骤停的原因是个谜. He spent another two weeks in a nearby hospital where doctors implanted a defibrillator. If his heart again stops or goes into an unstable rhythm, the device can correct it.

“直到今天，我们真的不知道发生了什么，”霍尔顿说. “我真的，真的很感谢布莱恩和伊森在那里. 我觉得我还有很长的路要走."

He's grateful he'll be around to see his 18-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter grow up.

十月的第一个星期，霍尔顿回家了. 1月, the rescue squad officer who'd been keeping Buckley informed arranged for the survivor and lifesaver to connect via a video call.

“太神奇了，”巴克利说. “在生活中，我能开玩笑的人很少. 克里斯就是其中之一，他打开了我个性的一部分. 我们立刻建立了联系. 真是太美了."

在2月中旬, the two men met in person when Buckley and Isang received the Mechanicsville 志愿者 Rescue Squad Life Saving Award for their efforts.

现在，霍尔顿又回到了平常的野外散步. He has regular appointments with his cardiologist to keep tabs on his heart. 他将自己的快速康复归功于积极的生活方式.

霍尔顿和巴克利一直保持联系, 太, 在疯狂三月期间发短信，每隔几周分享一次信息. 从那天开始, Buckley – a regional board member for the 美国心脏协会 – is adamant that everyone should learn 心肺复苏. 他说服了几个家庭成员报名参加培训课程. 徒步旅行的经历也让他对生活有了新的看法.

"There were things I was afraid to do, or hesitating to do," Buckley said. “但是生命太短暂了."

Since helping 霍尔顿, Buckley started a life coaching business and he's getting his EMBA.

"I've always had the drive to make a large impact in the world," Buckley said. “但这次经历让我更加专注. It taught me the difference that a collective of people can make in the moment. 从很多方面来说，这是一项团队运动."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

If you have questions or comments about this 美国心脏协会 沙巴足球体育平台 story, please email (电子邮件保护).