Quick thinking and CPR saved the life of a local man

This year’s American Heart Association Heart Mini-Marathon & Walk in downtown Cincinnati, to be held on March 19, will feature a new team, thanks to the quick thinking of Cincinnati Museum Center staff.

Mike and Emily Perrich of Loveland met as college students at the University of Dayton in 2001. They started their careers after college—Mike as a marketing manager in the hospitality industry and Emily as a personal shopper for Saks Fifth Avenue. The couple spent the first 10 years together in downtown Cincinnati and, in 2015, decided to get married at one of their favorite places in the city—the Cincinnati Museum Center.

“Our family has always loved the museum,” says Mike, who with Emily now has a daughter Meritt, 5, and a son, Macklan “Mack,” 3.

So when Mike had a rare day off last August before starting a new job in Columbus, he took Mack and headed off to their favorite place. And though it was a day that started out like any other, it would change abruptly when Mike had a freak cardiac arrest while playing with his son at the museum.

Chloe Keil, a museum engagement specialist, was nearby when Mike collapsed and, because she remembered learning CPR in high school, immediately raced to the scene.

“We thought it was a guest who had a seizure,” Keil says. “But when I got there, he had no pulse.”

Keil hadn’t taken a CPR refresher course but had used the American Heart Association’s CPR Kiosk on site at the museum and says she quickly remembered the process.

“I immediately thought I had to go help and started doing compressions and breathing,” Keil says.

Meanwhile, someone had called 911 and paramedics were on their way. The museum’s public safety officer brought an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Still unconscious when paramedics arrived, Mike could not be moved until he was stabilized—about 20-30 minutes later. He was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Melissa Allen, the museum’s human resources generalist, called Emily to let her know her husband had been taken to the hospital and that they were caring for her son. Emily rushed to the hospital and sent her in-laws to pick up Mack.

Emily learned that her husband’s heart had stopped three times and, when she arrived at the hospital, was told he was alive, thanks mostly to the quick actions of the Museum Center staff and paramedics.

According to the American Heart Association, 80% of cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals and without immediate CPR most victims will die. At just 40 years old, Mike was active and healthy and had no previous risk factors.

Within five days, Mike was released from the hospital after having neurological tests of his brain that showed his memory was perfect. He was fully functional and back to work within three weeks.

“It’s a true miracle,” Mike says. “If I had been anywhere else—driving or at home—I wouldn’t be here today!”

Mike and Emily are now huge advocates for CPR training and have created a team, Big Mike’s Big Heart, for the upcoming Heart Mini.

“CPR saves lives,” Mike says. “It saved mine, so I want to give back by raising money to ensure everyone learns this lifesaving skill.”