Positivity: Omaha Women Save a Life
Publication Date: Friday, July 18, 2008
K.C. Lathrop sits in an Omaha hospital room surrounded by family. Talking. Laughing. Joking.
He’s taking phone calls. He doesn’t like all the attention he’s getting. Says he’d rather not talk about what happened.
At the same time, he wants to thank those who saved his life. “I have a lot to be thankful for today,” he says quietly. “I do understand that people want to know how I’m doing. It’s nice to know so many people care.”
Four days earlier, Lathrop lay motionless on a Cozad street after collapsing and hitting his head on the asphalt at the end of the Rock, Roll and Run 10K race.
The crowd and organizers at Saturday’s race watched in silence as two other runners, Darci Kelly of North Platte and Laura Heirigs of Sutherland, began CPR on Lathrop after determining he had no pulse and was not breathing.
“At first, I thought it was someone with heat stress, and I pulled out my phone to dial 911,” said race organizer Dustin Favinger. “There was really no time to think. We just had to react.”
Kelly is a lifeguard and director of Cozad’s CPR program, and Heirigs is a physician assistant.
“Within seconds, they were at his side,” Favinger said. “Somebody said they thought he was laying there without a heartbeat for about seven minutes.”
Lathrop, 32, of Gothenburg also was helped at the scene by Cozad police Officer Randy Adams and a nurse, Julie Giffis of Cozad. About three minutes after Lathrop collapsed, Laura Heirigs’ husband, Rick, finished the race and offered assistance.
“He’s a cardiologist, so when he finished running he saw what happened and jumped in to help,” Favinger said. “It was so surreal. Time just seemed to slow down.”
After being transported to Cozad Community Hospital, Lathrop was flown by AirCare to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and later transferred to an Omaha hospital.
A former standout athlete at Kearney High School and a University of Nebraska at Kearney football player, Lathrop placed 13th overall and second in his age division after finishing the 6.2-mile race in just more than 46 minutes. Lathrop’s wife, Amanda, also competed in the race.
“I’m doing good, and I feel better. I have a very strong support system of family and friends, and that has helped,” said Lathrop, who teaches and coaches in Gothenburg. K.C.’s dad, Craig, is a longtime coach and teacher at Kearney High. …..
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