BRIGHTON, Utah — For six years, Miley Feltman has been a nurse at the University of Utah and was on a Saturday morning hike with her partner, John Jacobs.
“We ended up coming across a group of about six people, and they were pointing out a moose and her calf that were a little bit further up the trail," she said.
However, no one could have predicted what happened next.
“This gentleman in front of me just collapsed, Feltman said, "completely collapsed."
In that moment, she felt there was only one thing to do.
“I asked a bystander, call 911. They did immediately, and I just began chest compressions right away," Feltman said.
The man who collapsed was visiting from Argentina, and neither he or his wife spoke English.
“There was a woman in our group who was able to speak both Spanish and English," Feltman said. "I said to her, 'Just shout out anything you can find out: medications, medical history.'"
Two other men saw Miley and joined in. The three of them rotated doing chest compressions for 20 minutes until paramedics arrived.
“Ten or 15 minutes in, I was awfully concerned for the outcome for his well-being, but at the same time, I just knew that I had to keep going," Feltman said.
Once paramedics got there, a miracle happened.
“When I felt his radial pulse, which is this pulse right here on the wrist. It was such an incredible moment," Feltman said.
The man survived because of her CPR knowledge, taught at places like the West Jordan Fire Department, which offers classes to give others the chance to learn the exact skills Feltman used that day.
“Amazed at her efforts because that is work," said West Jordan Deputy Chief Chris Trevino. "We bring a whole five-person crew to a scene, and everybody gets an opportunity to do that. And we're exhausted by the end of that 45 minutes,"
“Survival rates drop about 10% every minute that nothing is done. So even if you're doing it wrong, you could still be helping," added public education specialist Ashleigh Colosimo.
Even though Feltman was trained, it was the first time she ever did CPR on a person, and she ended up saving his life.
“Strangers coming together," said her partner John. "We talk so often nowadays about people not pulling together. Well, here was a literal case of people pulling together for the greater good."
“I do feel proud of the work I did and happy about the outcome; it also just kind of feels like it's just what I was supposed to do," Feltman said.
If you would like to get CPR certified, you can find more resources at: