first on decorahnews.com: Three who took care of Tracy Hjelle will be honored for their actions

When Luther College assistant softball coach Tracy Hjelle suffered a "Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection" (heart fibrilation) last April, she nonetheless had several things going for her.

Tracy's life may have been saved by the fact the whole sequence of events happened in the presence of the Luther's Head Athletic Trainer and two medically inclined softball team members.  It also happened within 20 paces of an AED defibrillator, with people who knew how to operate the defibrillator.

Tracy's heart began to fibrillate and she collapsed on the sidewalk in front of several team members.  CPR was performed by Luther Head Trainer Kris Agena of Cresco and softball team members Kelsey Kittleson Millonig of St. Ansgar and Shari Huber of Eldrige.  The three did CPR for roughly seven minutes before an AED defibrillator shocked her heart back into a normal rhythm.  Paramedics stabilized her and transported her to the Winneshiek Medical Center.  She was later airlifted to St. Mary's hospital in Rochester.

Later this month the American Red Cross will honor Agena, Huber and Millonig for their actions.  The three will be presented with the "Everyday Heroes Award" at an awards breakfast in Dubuque on March 19th.