First responders honored for saving Albemarle man who went into cardiac arrest

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - An Albemarle County man is alive after going into cardiac arrest, thanks to his wife, a rescue squad, and doctors who acted swiftly to make sure he survived.

On Thursday afternoon at the UVA Medical Center, they all got together again, this time to celebrate Andrew Walker’s wife.

“It’s emotional, trying to come to grips with how vulnerable you can be,” Andrew said. “There’s a lot of people that helped out and are the reason I’m still alive.”

March 27, 2024, was initially identical to any other day, Andrew says.

“I didn’t feel any different,” he said. “In the evening, I taught a class at UVA, came home, ate dinner with my family. I have two kids.”

Later that night, Katie Walker says her husband began making noises in his sleep. She nudged him once, and then a few more times.

“Finally, honestly, I got irritated enough that he wasn’t responding that I slapped him in the middle of his chest, and when I did, he let out a huge, gaspy inhale that just didn’t sound right,” Katie said. “So, I turned on the light. His eyes were wide open and unresponsive.”

Katie immediately called 911 and began chest compressions on Andrew and kept going as she waited for the EMTs.

“Eight minutes can make the difference between living and dying, and I think the patient’s wife, Katie, demonstrated that here,” said William Brady, Medical Director of Albemarle County Fire Rescue. “She kept him alive until the fire department arrived and resuscitated him.”

Those who attended on Thursday, from Albemarle Fire Rescue, Albemarle County Police Department, UVA Health, and emergency dispatchers, agreed on one thing: they wanted everyone in the community to know how to report and respond to a medical emergency.

Brady says lay people should try to learn some form of first aid by taking a CPR course or even just reading a textbook on the topic.

“We have a man who’s back at work with his family doing what he did before his cardiac arrest,” Brady said. “That’s what we need to push for, and it takes a team.”

Andrew also said he now knows he has a heart condition he will continue to live with.

He expressed his gratitude for everyone in the room who made sure he could be there, including each and every first responder, and of course, his wife, Katie.

“My event happened in the middle of the night, and so they were there to respond,” Andrew said. “They helped save my life, but also help to comfort my family, like my son, who was witnessing all this. So that’s a big deal.”

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