A Fond du Lac man says he is alive today thanks to quick thinking YMCA members and an employee at the Fond du Lac Y. Sixty eight year old Gary Gerner says he was on an elliptical machine earlier this month when he suddenly collapsed. When Gerner didn’t respond two women who were nearby started CPR and a few seconds later Y Aquatics and Family Coordinator Jennie Mildebrandt administered the automated external defibrillator. “What I remember is I’m on the elliptical machine. I woke up the next Sunday,” Gerner told WFDL news in an exclusive interview. “Those two ladies saved my life.” Today Gerner is recovering at home. He says doctors have told him the recovery time will be about three to four weeks. But when he’s ready, Gerner says he’ll be back at the Y. Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue assistant chief of EMS, Todd Janquardt, says he believes Gerner was helped by the fact that he works out at the Y. “The more an individual pays attention to cardiovascular exercise and keeping their hearts and lungs in shape, the more likely it is they can either, A , avoid these type of medical issues or, B, recover from them when they do happen.” The interviews with Gerner and Janquardt can be heard on the “Between the Lines” podcast.
