Amherst man awarded by Red Cross for saving the life of his wife

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) - An Amherst man is getting recognized by the Red Cross for his heroic actions from October of last year.

When Dale Hintz found his wife unresponsive, he knew he had to act. Disaster can come at any time, even when you least expect it.

“I thought it was a normal morning,” said Dale. “She was up unloading the dishwasher and I was doing something downstairs and that’s when I heard her fall.”

His wife Sandy had suffered cardiac arrest, but luckily Dale is CPR certified. He’s undergone training in the Navy, as a boy scout leader, and through his job in maintenance. When he saw Sandy, he immediately checked her pulse and called 9-1-1.

“Fortunately for the training I’ve had and stuff, it was just a reaction,” he added.

Kathryn Halvorson, executive director of Red Cross Northcentral Wisconsin Chapter said, “You never know when an emergency is gonna happen and it comes down to minutes, seconds, that make all the difference.”

For Dale, keeping calm was a struggle.

“I was starting to get to that point where it was maybe panicking a little bit but by calling the 911 operator right away, and hearing her voice, and just starting that process. It got me back into the mode of what I need to do.”

Dale performed CPR for 11 minutes until EMS arrived at their home and revived Sandy with an AED. She was immediately rushed to the hospital to start the long road to recovery.

“I’ve gone through occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy. Now I’m working on speech pathology,” Sandy said.

Months later, Sandy still isn’t able to return to work, but her path to recovery brings hope.

“She is able to take care of herself, help me out with the housework, help me out with the yardwork, she’s able to communicate with her kids, we’ve gone on vacation together, whether she returns to work or not, it’s still a very positive outcome,” Dale said.

The Red Cross encourages everyone to receive CPR training to be prepared for the unexpected.

Halvorson added, “This happened to be a loved one and I think it’s important for people to remember that it could happen in your family, it could happen to a stranger, and being able to be at the right place at the right time and having that training is essential to having a happy ending.”

As for the recognition and certificate, Dale has bigger things to celebrate.

“I’m just grateful Sandy’s here with me.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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