'Thank you for ruining my funeral'

CEDAR RAPIDS — For those in the field of emergency response, it's often they see a sad outcome to a medical emergency.

That wasn't the case Tuesday as Dan Clarahan, 59, of Greenleaf, Wis., returned to Cedar Rapids to thank those responsible for saving his life last December 'for ruining my funeral.'

'It is overwhelming,' said Clarahan, who on Dec. 3, suffered a heart attack due to a completely blocked left ventricle while driving east on Highway 30. Ironically, he had been in town after attending the funeral of a cousin who died of a heart attack, he said.

'Literally, I was dead 108 days ago,' Clarahan said during a ceremony held at the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, 701 10th St. SE, to honor his lifesavers. 'It's wonderful and fantastic to be able to thank everybody.'

A few dozen people gathered for the afternoon ceremony to receive recognition for their work in saving Clarahan's life, including those from Mercy Medical Center, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, Cedar Rapids Fire Department and Area Ambulance Service.

'I don't think I thought about anything else other than making sure I kept going and keeping that rhythm going I had training for, and I just hoped it was going to work.'

- Sara Jansen

Two of the three civilians who stopped to help Clarahan — Sara Jansen and Chase Bennett — also were honored with certificates of appreciation from the city of Cedar Rapids and a personal 'thank-you' from Clarahan.

After Clarahan's rental car hit the guard rail and subsequently crossed the opposite lanes of traffic and rolled into a ditch back in December, Bennett and Jonathan Collanan, who were heading west on Highway 30, stopped their vehicle. Bennett began cardiopulmonary resuscitation — or CPR — as Collanan called 911.

Jansen, 53, of Cedar Falls, arrived next after having taken a wrong turn while driving through Cedar Rapids. She pulled over and helped administer CPR.

'I don't think I thought about anything else other than making sure I kept going and keeping that rhythm going I had training for, and I just hoped it was going to work,' Jansen said, adding she's been CPR certified since she was in high school.

Jansen said she had heard Clarahan survived after receiving a phone call from his brother the week after the incident.

'I thought I'd probably never know what happened to him,' she said. 'It was a good feeling to know everything worked.'

Several police officers arrived, followed shortly afterward by the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and the Area Ambulance Service. Clarahan was then transported to Mercy Medical Center, where he made a full recovery from what he describes as 'a widow maker.'

Cedar Rapids police officer John Dunkelberger was the first officer on the scene and credits the civilians who stopped.

'Without them, it probably would not have turned out well,' he said.

Eric Petri, a paramedic with Area Ambulance Service who treated Clarahan at the scene, said the survival rate for cardiac arrests in most communities is pretty dismal, but Cedar Rapids has a higher-than-average resuscitation rate.

'We actually in Cedar Rapids have a pretty good success rate compared to other places getting people back to the hospital,' Petri said. 'I think it has to do with quick CPR and quick access to care because we have relatively good arrival times from our units.'

Clarahan said it was important to him to recognize the individuals who stopped to help, as well as the first responders.

Now that he has a second chance at life, Clarahan said he's still grappling with how to pay it forward. He likes to emphasize the importance of CPR training.

'You never know where you're going to be, when you might need it,' Jansen said. 'It could be a family member, it could be a friend, it could be a total stranger.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8536; michaela.ramm@thegazette.com