Wife saves husband during cardiac arrest, now supporting mission of American Heart Association

MADISON (WKOW) - The American Heart Association Madison Heart Walk is coming up Saturday.

The event raises critical funds to advance lifesaving research, increase CPR education and training and drive equitable health for all people.

9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. In most of those cases, bystander CPR was not performed.

That wasn't the case for DeLosse "Dee" Fussell.

In 2014, Dee was a very active 43-year-old. He even was an IRONMAN competitor.

One evening, Dee and his wife, Tara, watched a movie and he fell asleep on the couch. Around 5 AM, their dog alerted Tara that something was wrong.

When she checked on Dee, she saw him take two breaths and stop breathing.

Tara called 911 and performed CPR for 10 minutes until EMS arrived. First respond