Schumacher reunites with people who helped save her life at QFC

Published 10:31 am Friday, October 16, 2015

On the afternoon of May 8, Penny Schumacher went to the QFC up on Redmond Ridge.

She was going about her shopping when she suddenly collapsed near the deli and the cheese section.

Toshia Maund and Tarrah Bailey were also shopping that day — in the same part of the store — while cheese master Katie Beacom was working behind the cheese counter. All three women heard a loud crash. They looked to find the cause and found Schumacher on the floor.

START HELPING AND DON’T STOP

Beacom proceeded to call 911 and Maund and Bailey rushed to check on Schumacher. The two shoppers first tried to wake her up and checked to see if she had any sort of medical bracelet or necklace to indicate what could have caused her to collapse. They didn’t find anything and Schumacher began turning blue from a lack of oxygen, so Maund began performing hands-only CPR while Bailey tilted her head to make sure Schumacher’s airway remained open and held her hand.

“She didn’t look good,” said Bailey, who was in the store to do her weekly grocery shopping and initially thought Schumacher had possibly slipped on water that could have been on the floor.

Bailey added that she remembered seeing Schumacher coming into the store and how sluggish the other woman seemed while she was walking around the store.

Schumacher’s color eventually returned, but Maund continued with the chest compressions.

“I just didn’t want to stop,” she said.

Beacom agreed, saying “(Maund) knew exactly what she was doing.”

First responders arrived less than two and a half minutes after Beacom called 911. Once the paramedics took over and eventually transported Schumacher to EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, Maund, Bailey and Beacom went about their day, finishing up their shopping and work day.

AN EMOTIONAL REUNION

It was about a week later that Schumacher’s husband contacted them to let them know his wife was OK. They said the paramedics also called them with an update about a week after that.

Schumacher did not go into cardiac arrest, but had an electrical anomaly occur. She and her family later learned that she has Long QT syndrome (LQTS). This is a disorder of the heart’s electrical activity and can cause sudden, uncontrollable and dangerous arrhythmias — which are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.

But despite the updates they received, none of the three women ever met again — that is, until Monday.

On Monday morning, Schumacher got to meet all of the people involved in saving her life that day as they reunited in the produce section of the QFC up on Redmond Ridge.

“It feels good,” she said about meeting everyone, which included the three women as well as the first responders who answered the call that day.

Schumacher said she doesn’t remember anything about the incident and is still in recovery. She spent 31 days in the intensive care unit and nine days on a respirator. She hopes to be able to come home by the end of next week.

“I’m getting very bored,” the 68-year-old said.

Maund, Bailey and Beacom were also happy for their reunion with Schumacher.

“It’s really good to see her,” Maund said.

Thinking back on that day — the Friday before Mother’s Day — an emotional Maund said all she could think about while she was performing chest compressions was how Schumacher could be someone’s mother and possible grandmother. She added that it was just a fortunate coincidence that she was in that section as she had already completed all of her shopping and was on the other side of the store when she realized she’d forgotten to pick up some cheese.

In addition to the reunion, Maund, Bailey and Beacom were each presented with flowers and medals from the Redmond Fire Department for their service and role in saving Schumacher’s life.

Beacom said these were unexpected and unnecessary as all they needed to know was that she was OK.

“That’s all the flowers I needed,” she said.

A TIERED RESPONSE SYSTEM

Chris Stevens, who is with the Redmond Fire Department’s (RFD) Station 18 on Redmond Ridge, was among the first responders who initially arrived on the scene following Beacom’s call. He said in these types of cases, there is a tiered response and that first tier involves citizens witnessing the event and responding and acting, which is exactly what Beacom, Maund and Bailey did.

Stevens said by performing chest compressions on Schumacher, she was set up for a successful recovery.

David Johansson, a firefighter and paramedic stationed at RFD’s downtown headquarters, agreed that the three women’s quick thinking and fast acting played a major role in Schumacher’s survival.

“That was pretty critical,” he said.

Recalling the incident, Beacom said she remembers the sense of community she felt as people — not just her, Bailey and Maund — jumped in to help, clearing the area and blocking it off with carts and redirecting foot traffic in order to clear the way for the first responders and give Schumacher privacy.

“It was an amazing thing to be part of,” Beacom said.

In addition, Beacom, who was not aware of the new hands-only method prior to this incident, recommends everyone read up on it.

“It saved (Schumacher’s)  life,” she said.