Three people honored Tuesday for saving the life of Luther assistant softball coach Tracy Hjelle

(Left to right): Tracy Hjelle, Kris Agena, Kelsey Kittleson Millonig, Everyday Heroes Co-Chair Carol Heying and Decorah-based Red Cross employee Gabrielle White. (Shari Huber was not able to attend)

Cresco resident Kristen Agena, Eldrige resident Shari Huber and St. Ansgar resident Kelsey (Kittleson) Millonig were honored Tuesday by the American Red Cross for saving the life of their softball coach, Tracy Hjelle.

The three responded quickly after Tracy Hjelle suffered a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, although they did not know what had happened.  What they knew was that she collapsed, started to seize, and then took two agonal respirations, which are labored breaths typically taken right before death. From the moment that Tracy fell, Kris, Shari, and Kelsey coordinated their efforts to save her life.

After the AED shock was administered, Tracy began taking gasping breaths and her pulse returned. Soon after paramedics arrived on the scene and Tracy was airlifted to Mayo Clinic.

Tracy and her husband, John, were present for the award. John noted, "With no symptoms or risk factors for heart problems, it's something of a miracle that the whole sequence of events happened in the presence of the Luther's Head Athletic Trainer and medically inclined teammates, within 20 paces of an AED defibrillator, with people who knew how to operate the defibrillator, and that the medical professionals from Winneshiek Medical Center were able to stabilize and transport her to a world class hospital all within one hour." Kris, Shari, and Kelsey were nominated by Gabrielle White.

Kris, Shari, and Kelsey were also recognized with a National Red Cross Lifesaving Award and Citation and received recognition for that from the State Senate representative for Winneshiek County, Michael Breitbach.