Tom Kissel is alive today thanks to the combined efforts of strangers and a three-legged pooch named Tater Tot.
Their quick work was recognized Tuesday in a ceremony sponsored by the American Heart Association and Allegheny Health Network at the River Forest Yacht Club in Allegheny Township.
On July 10, Kissel, 76, was on the docks at River Forest, looking forward to a day of boating with his beloved dog, Tater Tot, when an unexpected swell came from the Allegheny River. Kissel was knocked over and rendered unconscious as he fell into the river and sunk below the surface.
Tater Tot, a 15-year-old Pomeranian/Jack Russell mix who lost a leg to cancer, immediately jumped in after him.
Mary Jo Lender, a veteran cardiac care nurse, was nearby with her husband docking their boat when she noticed a dog swimming and struggling in the river.
“The dog splashing in the water caught our attention,” said Lender, 54, a Lower Burrell resident. “Then, I noticed he (Kissel) was underwater.”
Three bystanders were able to pull Kissel, nearly lifeless, from the water. Lender administered CPR dockside for about 20 minutes until first responders arrived.
“I had limited hope that it would be a good outcome,” Lender said. “It was a dire situation. I knew it wasn’t good.”
Lender said it was her first time assisting someone outside of her hospital work. She credits the immediate and continuous use of chest compressions for saving Kissel. Allegheny Township police who came to the scene used a defibrillator to shock his heart back into rhythm.
Kissel, a Mars resident, was hospitalized and spent time in a coma, but he has since recovered about “90 percent” and has returned to boating on the Allegheny River with his family and Tater Tot.
“I’m glad that they’re getting recognition for what they did for me,” said Kissel of the ceremony.
Lender, a lifelong Alle-Kiski Valley resident and Burrell High School alumnus, was recognized and presented with two awards at the ceremony: the HeartSaver award from AHA and a Heartsaver Hero Award citation from the state House of Representatives.
There were no eyewitnesses to Kissel’s fall into the river, and he has no memory of the events.
“It was like I went to sleep and woke up,” Kissel said. “I owe my life to them.”
Kissel calls Tater Tot his “little man” and said he’s “full of spirit” for a little dog.
“We take him everywhere we go,” Kissel said of Tater Tot, who was bedecked with a tuxedo for Tuesday’s ceremony.
Allegheny Township Police Chief Duane Fisher attended the event. Some of his officers responded to Kissel that day.
Fisher expressed thanks to the Alle-Kiski Health Foundation for providing two AEDs (automated external defibrillators) for his force. “Having the right tools helps in saving a life,” Fisher said.
