SECOND CHANCE

FIFTY LAKES - Roger Feyo was given a second chance at life Aug. 22. He has his family to thank for it.

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The Feyos live deep in the woods near Fifty Lakes on 162 acres of prime hunting land. Originally from the Twin Cities, Roger and his wife, Pat, converted their one-time hunting shack into a quaint year-round home. They watch for wildlife to pass through the yard and have set up a feeding station for deer just outside the kitchen window.

Roger has hunted the Fifty Lakes area since 1960 and now his entire family joins him. The Feyos are a close-knit group and when tragedy happened the morning of Aug. 22, the family persevered.

Roger, 68, walked onto his front porch to feed the family cat and suddenly collapsed. He stopped breathing and started to turn blue.

The Feyo family - Pat (back left), Tom, Terri Jacobson and Roger (seated) - posed on their front porch, the exact spot Roger Feyo collapsed and nearly died Aug. 22. Roger thanks his children for performing CPR and ultimately saving his life that day. Brainerd Dispatch/ Kelly Humphrey

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"Thank God both of the kids were home," said Pat, who admits she was frantic when the incident happened.

Within two minutes of his collapse, his son, Tom, and daughter, Terri Jacobson, started CPR while Pat called 911. Neither Tom nor Terri had ever done CPR before, but Terri's certified nursing assistant training from years ago kicked in.

"I never thought my first time doing CPR would be on Dad," Terri said.

Terri did compressions while Tom kept Roger's airway open. About nine minutes later, first responders and emergency personnel arrived. After being shocked three or four times by a defibrillator Roger's heart started beating in rhythm again. He was transported by ambulance to Crosslake, then flown by helicopter to St. Cloud Hospital.

He was put in a deep coma and his body temperature was lowered to 92 degrees to prevent brain swelling or damage. Doctors said usually odds are low that a patient wakes up after a cardiac arrest.

The family remained positive.

"We didn't think about that at the time," Tom said.

Hands-Only CPR

The American Heart Association said Hands-Only CPR can be as effective as conventional CPR for adults. The AHA states "providing Hands-Only CPR to an adult who has collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrest can more than double that person's chance of survival."

There are two steps to Hands-Only CPR, according to the AHA. First, call 911. Then push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

Aaron Graber, adult CPR instructor and representative of the Northstar Chapter of the American Red Cross, said Hands-Only CPR is ideal for people who are untrained, unable or unwilling to do mouth-to-mouth.

Twenty-four hours later when doctors raised Roger's body temperature and he was taken out of the induced coma, he woke up saying, "Get me out of here."

Two weeks later he was back at home, taking in the beauty of the north woods once again. But now he's a changed man - in a changed family.

Both Pat and Roger have quit smoking - Roger had smoked since he was 15 - and the whole family has vowed to live healthier lifestyles including exercising more and eating better.

"What happened to him may have saved all of us," Terri said.

Roger was implanted with a cardioverter defibrillator, so if he were to go into cardiac arrest again, the defibrillator would shock his heart back into rhythm.

Two months after the incident, Roger is taking life easy, going to rehab three times a week at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center and is looking forward to deer hunting.

"It really is unbelievable," Terri said. "It's like this never happened."

Roger remembers nothing about the incident that nearly cost him his life.

Pat describes Roger as "not a man of many words," at least when it comes to emotional topics, but his children know how thankful he is to them for saving his life.

"It's a miracle," Pat said. "Every time I look at him I thank the Lord for bringing him back."

HEIDI LAKE may be reached at heidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5879.