PERRYSBURG, Ohio — It was just another day at the office for Jennifer Weddington and Anita Santus at Sigma Technologies in Perrysburg, working in side-by-side offices on Dec. 28, 2022.
But then Weddington went into cardiac arrest.
"All of a sudden I just hear a noise that sounded like somebody was snoring, and I'm like 'that doesn't sound normal," Santus said. "So, I got up to investigate, but, as soon as I stepped outside my office I could tell it was coming from Jennifer's office."
Weddington said she doesn't remember that day at all.
"She was just kind of slumped over her desk and breathing really heavy," Santus said. "Right away I went over to start shaking her on the shoulders like, 'Jennifer! Jennifer! Are you okay?' She was not responding at all."
Not getting any coherent response, Santus grabbed the phone and dialed 911. During the call, Weddington completely lost consciousness and her pulse and breathing stopped.
Since Santus was already on the phone and had some previous training with CPR, she knew she had to spring into action and start chest compressions. The operator talked her through the steps to keep Weddington's blood flowing through her body while she also prayed for help to come soon.
"When I heard those sirens coming, it was just the best sound I ever heard because I was so scared in the moment," Santus said. "She wasn't breathing and I didn't think she was going to make it. I was so relieved to see them get here."
The first responding team took Weddington to the hospital. As medical professionals tried to figure out what happened, Weddington spent a few days in a medically-induced coma. She said going from being in her office to waking up inside a hospital room was surreal and confusing.
"Never had any health issues my whole life, so, to me, waking up in a hospital bed with tons of people around me is kind of frightening, like 'What's going on?'" Weddington said.
Her medical episode caused immediate changes not only in her own life, but the lives around her, too.
Santus said she has been re-certified in CPR and Sigma Technologies has gotten AED machines.
"Without an AED, Jennifer wouldn't have made it," Santus said.
The office building has numerous emergency supplies in the break room. One corner has a fire extinguisher, AED, first aid kit and the emergency exit door.
While Weddington still sits in the same desk and chair where she went into cardiac arrest, she said she feels safer at work since working from home means she's alone.
Weddington also had surgery in February 2023 to insert a defibrillator.
"It was a wake-up call for me to slow down a little bit," she said. "I would say I probably don't put things on hold as much as I would have in the past. We can do that later, we can do that later. Well, you don't know if there will be a later."
The Weddington family has since taken trips to Disney World and other destinations that families may put off. She said she doesn't regret a single experience.
Weddington and her family also nominated Santus for an American Heart Association Heart Saver Hero award in November 2023.
"If I put myself in Jennifer's husband's shoes, and I think about it from his standpoint, or I think about it from Jennifer's standpoint that she gets to go home to her kids. I understand why they think that I'm a hero," Santus said.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC. Every 33 seconds, someone in the U.S. dies of cardiovascular disease. But when it comes to the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest patients, it's 10%.
Weddington is just grateful.
"I'm just happy to be here with my family," she said.