A Villager who suffered cardiac arrest was saved by an off-duty EMT and two bowlers at AMF Leesburg Lanes.
Wayne Barry of the Village of Piedmont joined the Fenney and Neighbors bowling league on a Sunday evening in November last year for their weekly game. After completing a 300 game, Barry went to the bar to grab a glass of water and collapsed on the ground.
Austin Pritchett, an off-duty EMT, was watching his father bowl when Barry collapsed. Two other bowlers, John Holmes and Norman Bell, joined Pritchett to save Barry’s life. The trio took turns giving CPR until an ambulance arrived. During this process, Barry’s pulse was lost twice. He had to be shocked six times in order to get his pulse back.
“I was one lucky individual that day to be around heroes that saved me,” said Barry.
Barry did not wake up until the following Tuesday. Doctors informed him of four blockages, two of which were 99 percent blocked with the other two over 70 percent blocked. A few days later, Barry had open heart surgery and a quadruple bypass.
February marked three months of recovery for the Illinois native. Cardio rehab has helped Barry get back to enjoying his daily life, which includes going out and dancing at the squares. As for his bowling career, Barry has not counted himself out.
“I think I’ll get back to bowling soon,” he said.
