Off-duty miracle: Arnold police chief, wife save life of Lower Burrell crossing guard

Sometimes it’s just not your time.

Such was the case for Dennis “Denny” Soroka on Sept. 20.

The 80-year-old from Lower Burrell is alive through a miracle of happenstance: He suffered cardiac arrest at just the right place and time, in a store that had an automated external defibrillator and when a trained EMT and his wife, a cardiac nurse practitioner, happened to be shopping nearby.

‘The next thing I knew …’

Soroka remembers only bits and pieces of that day.

He remembers golfing with friends in the morning, grabbing a bite to eat for lunch and running in to the Giant Eagle in New Kensington about 3 or 4 p.m. to pick up a prescription.

“The next thing I knew, I was out,” Soroka said. “The last thing I knew, I was in the ambulance and going to Allegheny General Hospital.”

Rob and Crystal Haus of Arnold can fill in some of the blanks.

“(Rob) and I were attending a wedding and went to Giant Eagle between the wedding and reception — he had forgotten to get a card earlier that day,” said Crystal Haus. “We checked out and heard an emergency response called to the pharmacy.

“I thought to myself, ‘That can’t be good.’ I said to my husband, ‘We should go check that out.’ ”

That’s where they found Soro­ka.

“We found him unresponsive, laying on his side,” Crystal said. “He wasn’t breathing, and his color was blue.”

Beating the odds

Rob Haus, who is Arnold’s police chief and a trained EMT, and Crystal, a nurse practitioner at Tri-County Cardiology, began CPR and put an AED on Soroka’s chest.

“(Rob) was very quick to put it on him. It advised a shock, and it shocked him out of that rhythm,” Crystal said. “We were able to get a pulse, but he still wasn’t breathing.

“We proceeded with CPR compressions and brought him back.”

New Kensington EMS took Soroka to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where Dr. Josh Silverstein performed a cardiac catheter procedure and implanted a heart defibrillator.

“If it was an unwitnessed cardiac arrest, it would have been about a 10% chance (for Soroka) to survive,” Silverstein said. “He got shocked and had immediate recovery of his mental status when he was shocked.

“The real heroes were those who performed CPR. What I did didn’t save his life.”

Soroka was in the intensive care unit for five days.

“It would have taken his life if bystanders didn’t respond the way they did,” Silverstein said.

When Soroka called his longtime partner, Janet Zaleski, to tell her what happened, she couldn’t believe it.

“What he sounds like now was exactly what he sounded like from the ambulance. It didn’t seem possible,” she said.

Having a heart defibrillator in place flips the script for patients, Silverstein said: There is a much greater chance of survival with a heart defibrillator available to correct a life-threatening heart rhythm.

Giant Eagle should be commended for having a defibrillator in place, Silverstein said.

“It’s so very important to put yourself out there and learn how to use life-saving equipment,” said Crystal Haus, who specializes in cardiology and whose background is in primary care, palliative medicine, gastrointestinal and pain management. “When we take the oath of a nurse, you’re not only saving lives when you’re on duty.

“You don’t really think about the aftermath. You think about what’s important at the moment. That’s doing what’s right and saving the life.”

Rob and Crystal met in the hospital emergency room: He, as an EMT, would bring patients to her, an ER nurse, she said. Rob, who was an EMT for 25 years, also taught CPR classes.

“AEDs are simple to use,” Crystal said. “It’s the difference between saving a life and making a difference and putting yourself out there.”

Rob agrees.

“You turn it on, put the pads on, and it’ll self-analyze, shock or no shock,” he said.

Soroka is fortunate the Hauses were in the right place at the right time and knew how to use an AED, Silverstein said.

“It’s really a miracle,” he said. “The more members of society knowing CPR and the more access to AEDs, the more stories like this you’ll have to tell.”

Familiar face

At the time, the Hauses didn’t realize who they were saving. But as things progressed, Crystal knew why Soroka looked familiar: He is a crossing guard in Lower Burrell.

Soroka, who has been performing the role for 10 years, says he has handed out quite a few dog treats and met many parents.

He’s itching to get back to work: With a doctor’s clearance, he could return to work as early as the week of Nov. 17.

“Knock on wood — so far, so good,” he said.

The Hauses and Soroka haven’t met since, but his family has reached out to express thanks, Rob Haus said. He’s also a patient at Tri-County Cardiology, and Crystal has heard he’s doing well.

Soroka said he plans to stop by the Arnold police station.

“I’m going to thank him,” Soroka said. “I’ll introduce myself and thank him.”