Wife saves husband, with help of Hands Only CPR

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — For one New Hanover County couple, their world was turned upside down unexpectedly about a year ago. One man’s life was put in his wife’s hands.

“All of a sudden he just collapsed,” Pat Peterson said.

A regular morning for Pat and John Peterson turned into Pat trying to save her husband’s life.

“I kind of thought he had a heart ache,” Pat said. “It was just one of those things that happen so suddenly that you don’t really have time to think. You don’t really think.”

John was having a heart attack. Pat called 911 immediately.

“They said I had to get him on the floor,” Pat said. “I didn’t know if I can do it but I did and I did the compressions that she walked me through. ”

Less than ten minutes later, EMS arrived to take over.

“I woke a couple of days later,” John said. “I don’t really remember, a couple of days later.”

A long couple of days for a couple who has been together for almost 50 years.

“46 years? 47 years? Haha a long time,” Pat and John said.

They say they’re thankful to still have each other a year later, with the help of Hands Only CPR.

“I think it’s very important that people know what to do in an emergency,” Pat said. “It’s the process. It was CPR that saved him but it was God that saved him too.”