Quick response and AED offer a second chance at life

“I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell this story without my team and the defibrillator.”

My name is Klaus Dorfmuller. I am 66 years old and the managing director of a metalworking company in an industrial area in Remscheid, Germany. The fact that I am sitting here today and can talk about what happened is thanks to a chain of fortunate circumstances — and a defibrillator.

A sudden collapse

I have no memory of the moment when my heart stopped. I was at work, like any other day. But without warning, I collapsed. No pain, no signs — just gone.

Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. My colleagues acted with lightning speed. They knew that every second counted. While one of them immediately started chest compressions, another fetched the AED that we were lucky enough to have in the company. Until that day, I had never imagined that it would one day save my life.

Because our company is on the outskirts of the city, it took a while for the emergency services to arrive. But the crucial minutes had already been used — by my rescuers and by the AED.

An awakening

I regained consciousness days later in the intensive care unit. What had happened first had to be explained to me. I had no memory of it; it was as if this moment had simply not happened in my life. And yet it had. I knew that I had only been given a second chance thanks to the determined actions of my colleagues and the AED.

A new perspective

I had no contact with the professional rescuers, just the rescuers who worked in my company. But when I was later asked whether I would set up an outdoor location for a defibrillator on my company premises, I didn’t have to think twice.

I know what it means when help is available quickly — and what it means when it’s not. The fact that my colleagues intervened so quickly and courageously saved my life. The fact that a defibrillator was available made all the difference. If I can now help to ensure that others also benefit from this help, then I do so with full conviction.

I was lucky. Perhaps with this decision I can help others have the same luck.