East Texan suffering cardiac arrest saved by wife, first responders quick responses

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - An East Texan is still alive today after suffering sudden cardiac arrest. This result was possible thanks to the quick actions from his wife, an EMS dispatcher, and first responders.

It was just another evening for Curtis and Brynn Cason, who were winding down for the night, reading Scripture from the Bible.

“All I remember from that point was my wife telling me that I was gasping for air,” Cason said.

Curtis had gone into cardiac arrest. His heart stopped. His wife, Brynn, acted fast, calling 9-1-1 and the dispatcher who answered, “Listen carefully, I’ll tell you how to do chest compressions,” said Sharron Sparks. She was able to walk Brynn through how to do chest compressions and count with her until help arrived. This lasted about ten minutes.

“She was my saving grace because she just sat there and helped me count and I was just praying the whole time. It was the most traumatic thing I’ve ever been through,” Brynn said.

The Tyler Fire Department was first on scene and they began response before EMS arrived. Charles Bishop is a paramedic at UT Health East Texas and responded with his partner, EMT, Bobby Roberts.

“From there we had shocked him three more times, with the max joules that we could go and we finally did get a pulse back, but it lasted about ten seconds,” Bishop said. “As we started getting him ready to get out the door he went back into cardiac arrest and we had to shock him a sixth time and do another round of chest compressions before he finally got a pulse and maintained it.”

After Cason was stable in the hospital, he and his wife were able to meet the crew that was a part of saving his life.

“It was very emotional, and to hear their side of it and being able to say thank you. Thank you for not giving up on my husband and helping save his life,” Brynn said.

“From what I’m told by my wife, they weren’t just doing their job. They was going over and beyond,” Curtis added.

For Sparks, who was the initial point of contact during this event, she said, “It really makes it worth it, especially all the bad or negative calls that we deal with in a day, to know that one of them had a positive outcome and someone got to go home, especially right before the holidays, that just meant a lot. It was really good to see.”

Roberts said Cason got a pillow after making it through his heart surgery.

“They wanted us to sign that and leave a note for him. It was very nice to meet them in that state versus when we originally met them,” Roberts said.

In some cases of cardiac arrest that they respond to, Bishop said you don’t get this same ending.

“There were signs when we were working the cardiac arrest that he was probably gonna walk out, but it’s just something that doesn’t happen too often. So it’s one of those things where you don’t get your hopes up, all you can really do is pray for them,” Bishop said. “Meeting him, seeing him as healthy as he was, it made my whole day, I would even say that made my whole life.”

We’re told Cason was in the hospital for just over two weeks in early December. He did end up having to go back on Monday, but is back home and recovering.

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