Heart Attack Victim Saved at Atlanta Airport

Editor’s note: Heart attack victim John Heilig was erroneously identified as John Geilig in a previous version of this story.

ATLANTA, GA -- A passenger traveling through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has a customs officer to thank for saving his life when he suffered a heart attack earlier this month.

John Heilig, 66, was in the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)’s inspection station on Dec. 11 fresh off a flight from Japan when he collapsed from a heart attack, the agency said. Officer John Seebode rushed to Heilig’s aid and began CPR.

While Seebode was administering CPR, other employees retrieved an automatic external defibrillator and began using it on the unconscious passenger, according to CBP. Atlanta Fire Rescue paramedics soon arrived at the airport to take over the lifesaving efforts and rushed Heilig to Emory University Hospital.

“When someone’s heart stops, immediate initiation of proper CPR is critical to a positive outcome,” said Dr. Chandan Devireddy of Emory University Hospital. “John going home today would not have taken place without the quality of care given by Officer Seebode and co-workers at the airport.”

Seebode visited Heilig at Emory during a ceremony on Wednesday, which was also attended by the Atlanta Fire Rescue paramedics involved in the lifesaving efforts and hospital personnel who worked with Heilig, CBP said.

Heilig was released from the hospital Thursday and is going to spend the new year with his daughter in Ohio.

---

Credit: Customs and Border Patrol