Aylward, friend credited with saving life

Retired Beacon Journal circulation director Bill Aylward and close friend Bob Wolf are credited with saving the life of Joseph Demeter after he suffered a heart attack and slumped over in a pew at St. Sebastian Church on August 19.

Wolf, 87, an usher at the church, was getting things in order for the Mass and repositioning a telephone when he saw Demeter keel over. "I had the phone in my hand," Wolf said, "so I quickly called 911. A lot of people faint in church, but I knew this was worse. . ."

Aylward, who turns 86 later this month was sitting in the third pew when he heard a thud, looked down the pew and saw Demeter slumped over..

Aylward was an Army medic in the South Pacific during World War stationed at a hospital . in East Bengal of present-day Bangladesh. He sprang into action.

"I couldn't detect any head injuries," Aylward said, "and there was a nurse - nobody knows her name - who checked for a pulse and couldn't find one." Aylward quickly removed Demeter's tie.

"I knew we had to get to work because he was blue and he was thrashing around with his arms and biting hard with his. teeth," Aylward said. "I could see his eyes were in the back of his head." Wolf and the nurse pinned Demeter's arms down so Aylward could begin CPR with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Wolf then administered chest compressions.

“It's a miracle because the Thursday before we had just had a refresher course on advanced CPR.," said Wolf. "Before, you were taught to give 15 chest compressions. This year, they changed it to 30 chest compressions. I'm glad I went to that advanced course because we didn't get him back until the 27th chest compressions.
"He was blue in the face and I thought we had lost him, but I wasn't going to give up until I got to 30."

Paramedics arrived in an estimated four minutes and took over.

"They were so discreet that we went ahead and had the 9 am. Mass and some people never knew what had happened," said St. Sebastian Deacon Terry Peacock. .
"To me, it was a classic effort of individuals coming together and respond to a person in need. And what amazed me were the ages of those involved.

Demeter underwent triple bypass surgery and valve replacement at Akron General Medical Center.

[Source: Article by Bill Lilley, The Beacon Journal,, Akron, OH, Wednesday, September 12, 2007, page 2, col. 1 ]