by Jessica Tomhave
On the evening of last year’s Thanksgiving, Ray Schwenzfeier and his family were enjoying second helpings of pie and games around the dinner table when suddenly Ray’s life fell into his family’s hands.
A little before 8 p.m. Ray finished a “rowdy game of cards” and joined his wife, Linda, on the couch to rest his feet, not unusual for him at the end of a day. They were celebrating the holiday in Sartell at the house of their youngest daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Steve Muenchow, along with their three grown children, spouses and eight grandchildren, only a couple of minutes from the home they’ve lived and raised a family in for 36 years.
Other than his sore feet, Ray was not experiencing any other pain or discomfort. He took out his phone and at 7:58 p.m. texted a family photo taken earlier in the day to a group chat and two minutes later, daughters Kari Schmitz of Woodbury and Julie, described their dad as “struggling to breath and turning purple.” Julie’s husband, Steve, was on the phone with 911 by 8:02 p.m. Ray’s son, Jon Schwenzfeier of Baudette, sprang into action, helping the oldest of the eight grandchildren shuffle the youngest out of the room, then planting himself alongside mom, Linda, in what she describes as him holding her up while she looked on in terror as daughters Julie, Kari and son-in-law Matt Schmitz began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her beloved husband of 49 years.
To begin life-saving efforts, they immediately moved Ray from the couch to the floor, cutting his shirt away, taking turns administering mostly chest compressions and occasional mouth-to-mouth breaths to the rhythm of the song “Staying Alive” playing on repeat inside Julie’s head, turning Ray on his side as needed to keep his airway clear. None of them have a medical background. No one present works in health care. They did not know their dad, father-in-law, husband and grandpa was experiencing an “electrical problem” of the heart called ventricular fibrillation, or V-fib. He was in cardiac arrest.
But what they did know from Kari’s formal training in CPR throughout her life-long career in childcare and Julie’s recent “refresher” at the Sartell Fire Station while on a field trip with her son’s Cub Scout troop was that they needed to act fast.
It was all-hands-on-deck without delay, what Ray himself accredits as “quick thinking and quick action from my team of heroes” that saved his life. Ray and his family have since been told that receiving CPR during the 14 minutes before fist-responders arrived did, in fact, save Ray’s life.
During those life-saving minutes, Julie recalled how scary CPR sounds and looks. Minutes felt like hours, her dad would “come to” and then slip away in a sort of pattern of irregularity. Steve remained on the phone with the dispatcher until the Sartell police, county sheriff and emergency medical technicians arrived at about 8:15 p.m.
Julie recalls the first responders seemed to arrive all at once and immediately took over CPR with the Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System (LUCAS) device, administering oxygen and intravenous medications and shocking Ray’s heart with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) three times at her house, once in the ambulance, and a fifth time at the hospital to restore normal rhythm to his heart.
Julie described the family as “coming in hot,” beating the ambulance to the hospital and within a half hour they heard the best news: Ray was reacting and pulling at all the tubes connected to him, which was an incredibly good sign.
Throughout the night Ray underwent numerous medical tests when it was determined he had not suffered a heart attack. No blockages were detected. Instead he had suffered an electrolyte (potassium) deficiency that interfered with the electrical signals from his brain to his heart, causing the irregular rhythm of a cardiac arrest to occur that only around 10 percent of people survive.
Friday morning, Ray underwent a procedure placing an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator inside his chest, and he started to ask on a 30-second loop, “What happened? My chest hurts!” To which Kari and Julie delicately explained the incredible events that had taken place only the night before. Ray would ask follow-up questions and they would patiently answer, filling in the awful details for their dad. An entire day went on with this question-and-answer loop until it was Linda who finally answered, “You were hit by a truck.” And that was that. It was Linda’s answer that made sense to Ray. Her version fit the pain in his chest perfectly. In his mind he pictured the truck had a snowplow attached, and he did not ask again.
Ray has no recollection of his terrifying emergency from sitting next to his wife Thursday evening until a visit from his brother the following Tuesday. Although he does not have any memory of his three-day stay in the hospital, by Monday Ray was going home and the medical staff suggested he buy a lottery ticket because it doesn’t usually end this way. Ray whole-heartedly agrees: “I am a lucky guy!,” he said.
For Ray and his family, life has gone back to normal. Three months post V-fib and really the only thing different in Ray’s life is that he goes to cardiac rehab, monitoring and building stamina. He paces himself and eats a heart-healthy, balanced diet. With a new appreciation for gatherings, the family feels blessed that it is life as usual, attending grandkids’ activities and events, visiting the hunting shack, celebrating Christmas and an upcoming family spring break to San Diego.
Because of the life-saving efforts by his “team of heroes,” Ray and Linda celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on March 2 of this year. Ray’s message is one of encouragement for anybody and everybody to receive CPR training because it saved his life. Kari refers to CPR training as “the cheapest insurance policy” and points out there are online courses and training options available. “You may never think you’ll need it until you do,” Ray said, “until you save someone you love.”
Please visit American Red Cross, American Heart Association or the National CPR Foundation for more information on in-person and online training.
Every minute counts. Ray Schwenzfeier, 72, is alive because of his CPR “team of heroes.”
Kari and Matt Schmitz of Woodbury, Ray and Linda Schwenzfeier of Sartell, and Julie Muenchow and Steve Muenchow of Sartell (not pictured, Jon and Erin Schwenzfeier of Baudette) sporting celebratory “Team Ray” T-shirts homemade by Linda. Ray refers to his family as his team of heroes for their quick thinking and quick acting CPR response, ultimately saving his life during cardiac arrest on Thanksgiving Day 2023, known as “Not Today Ray.”
