Cardiac Survivor Celebrates Paramedics Who Came to Her Aid at Super Bowl Parade

After nearly six months, Bellevue resident Heather Kelley will reunite with her paramedic rescuers at 11:45 a.m. July 29 during Seahawks training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center (full details below).

Kelley was on her way to the Seahawks’ Super Bowl Celebration on February 5, 2014, when her heart stopped on the sidewalk just outside CenturyLink Field.

While paramedics were ultimately able to restore a heartbeat, it was Kelley’s daughters who took the first steps to start what emergency responders call the cardiac arrest chain of survival – critical steps that can mean the difference between life and death. Kelley’s 14-year-old called 911, while her 15-year-old daughter started giving chest compressions.

Tomorrow, July 29, Kelley and her daughters will reunite with first responders Christina Dixon and David VanVelthuyzen, the two paramedics who restarted Kelley’s heart. They will also get to meet a few of the Seahawks team members they had hoped to see at the February 5 celebration.

Reporters interested in attending Tuesday’s event and interviewing Heather Kelley and the paramedics who restarted her heart need to be credentialed by Seahawks Public Relations Director Suzanne Lavender at Suzannel@seahawks.com, 425.203.8024 or 206.730.7549. General media questions regarding this event should go to Lee Keller or Page Peterson, contact information below.

About the Medic One Foundation

King County’s Medic One system is a national leader in providing effective care to cardiac arrest victims, with the world’s highest survival rate for witnessed sudden cardiac arrest at 62 percent. This impressive statistic is due in large part to world-class paramedic training funded by the Medic One Foundation, a local non-profit organization that ensures the quality of our region’s pre-hospital emergency care. For more information go to www.mediconefoundation.org.