The quick actions of a Dickson Police Officer saved a Dickson resident. Dickson Police Officer Melissa Tweedy, who is a Madill resident, said the entire event unfolded on May 29, 2021.
Tweedy received a call at approximately 11:00 a.m. about a 60-year-old man who had collapsed. They said it was a possible heart attack. Tweedy said when she arrived on scene, it had been approximately 10 minutes since the responding party called. This means Thomas had been unresponsive for at least 10 minutes.
Tweedy noticed a man standing over Thomas praying and shaking him. Tweedy then said she checked for signs of life but found none. Once she assessed that there was neither a pulse nor a heartbeat, she began to administer CPR.
Dickson Fire Department arrived on scene and Assistant Chief Troy Duke took over the chest compressions on Thomas. A few moments later, Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service arrived and began to give Thomas heart treatment.
At this point, Thomas had been unresponsive and without a heartbeat for approximately 45 minutes. Fortunately, the heart treatment from SOAS was effective and Thomas’ heart began to beat again.
Thomas was then transported to Mercy Ardmore where they got Thomas stable before flying him to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. Once arriving and Oklahoma Heart, he was treated for the “Widow Maker” and released to go home after six days.
A “Widow Maker” is considered the deadliest heart attack of all heart attacks. This occurs when there is a big blockage at the beginning of the left main artery or the left anterior descending artery. Typically, these are fatal.
Thomas was helping a family friend Ronnie Moore move into a new home. They stopped to take a break and that was when Thomas collapsed on the porch. Moore said in an interview with KXII that he heard a “death rattle” and he thought Thomas had died.
Tweedy said learning CPR could have been the difference between Thomas’ ability to go home and not waking up at all. She said she believes everybody should learn CPR.
Besides some short-term memory loss, Thomas does not seem to be suffering any other side effects from the extended amount of time he was without a pulse.
Thomas attributes his recovery to Tweedy and the other emergency personnel’s fortitude to not give up. Tweedy said she was just doing her job.
“People don’t see LEO (law enforcement officers) as helpers,” Tweedy said. “I love what I do. I have a Master’s in Criminal Justice Law Enforcement. I started my career in 2001 in hopes of helping others.”