Gym-Goer Helps Save Local Woman, 36, Who Went Into Cardiac Arrest at Algonquin Lifetime

A 36-year-old Huntley woman who went into cardiac arrest during a Zumba class at the Lifetime Fitness in Algonquin in March has now become the first patient through Loyola University Medical Center to receive a implantable defibrillator, according to the Elgin Courier News. 

James Amos,  a 13-year veteran of the West Dundee Fire Department who happened to be working out at Lifetime at the time, was able to assist Stacey Tyransk by using the gym's external defibrillator "to bring back a pulse," according to the article. 

Tyranski was transported to a local hospital and then to Loyola University where she was fitted with the implantable defibrillator, which can "prevent sudden cardiac death with an electric shock to the heart," according to the Elgin Courier News. 

“It makes me feel safe,” said Stacy in a Loyola University press release.

Tyranski has a congenital heart condition called transposition of the great vessels. The two major vessels that carry blood away from the heart – the aorta and the pulmonary artery – were switched (transposed). 

Tyranski had surgery to repair the defect when she was an infant. But the technique used at the time has increased her risk for irregular, life-threatening heartbeats called arrhythmias, said Joel Hardin, MD a specialist in congenital heart disease and an associate professor in Loyola’s Division of Cardiology.

Friends have rallied to help Stacey pay for her medical bills, which continue to mount after two ambulance rides, one surgery and may days in the hospital, according to a GoFundMe fund-raising page set up for Stacey. 

As of Tuesday evening, $1,230 has been raised for Stacey. Friends are hoping to raise a total of $25,000. Those interested in donating can do so on the fund-raising site.