Quick-acting cabbie resuscitates Wasilla woman

WASILLA — On a day when he wears a snug-fitting knit top and khaki shorts, Alaska Cab driver Jeremy Manley shows he has more than enough muscle to perform his duties as a paid chauffeur. For that reason, Manley often takes the call to pick up Chinook Apartments resident Janet Shorey, whose wheelchair can be too heavy for some drivers.

On a May 12 trip, the heft of Shorey’s wheelchair could have made all the difference, because it made sure Manley would be her driver on the day she passed out and stopped breathing in his azure Crown Victoria.

“He’s my hero,” Shorey said.

Manley successfully administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to Shorey while on a cab ride from Shorey’s residence to a medical appointment at Capstone Family Medicine. Manley, who was CPR certified prior to being hired by Alaska Cab about three months ago, didn’t hesitate in resuscitating Shorey three times in the 10 minutes before emergency medical personnel could respond to the scene.

“I’m just kind-of glad it came natural,” Manley said about his CPR training. “As soon as my training kicked in, I called 911 and got [emergency responders] rolling.”

While Manley had emergency personnel on the line, he noticed Shorey’s eyes had rolled back into her head. Deciding he could no longer wait to take action, Manley handed the phone to Shorey’s caregiver and began mouth-to-mouth CPR to the unresponsive Shorey.

“I am thinking, ‘Please don’t die, please don’t die in my cab,’” Manley said.

Shorey, who has been a customer of the cab company for the past four years, said she knew what was happening at the time and the last thing she remembers about the harrowing incident was Manley asking her if he should call 911.

“I was like, ‘Here we go again’,” Shorey said. “It was scary.”

Despite being frightened, neither was new to the procedure. Shorey said she has been resuscitated before at Providence Medical Center with a defibrillator, while Manley said he had performed CPR on a previous occasion. When Manley went to the hospital to visit Shorey the same day and drop off her wheelchair, Shorey was extremely grateful for Manley’s care.

“She gave me a hug and held onto me for about five or six minutes,” Manley said. “She was thankful I was there.”

When Shorey was released from the hospital, Manley was there and ready to drive the Wasilla resident back to her apartment.

While Manley’s decision to administer CPR may be considered a reflex action, it also could have been a life-saving response. Corey Jackson, a paramedic with the Mat-Su Borough, said that within three to five minutes, brain damage can occur in patients who do not receive oxygen. Without breathing, Jackson said Shorey’s heart potentially could have gone into a state of shock.

“If he hadn’t have noticed there was a problem and opened her airway and assisted her breathing, she probably would have gone into cardiac arrest,” Jackson said.

Corky Hedrick, owner of Alaska Cab Co. in the Mat-Su Valley, said Manley had already become a company favorite before saving his passenger.

“We call him our local taxi hottie,” Hedrick said. “He was kidding with Janet about that’s one way to get him to kiss her.”

Hedrick said that while the company’s medical transportation employees are required to undergo basic medical training, current drivers do not have to have training to work for the company. Hedrick plans to make CPR training mandatory in the near future.

“I think Janet’s alive today because of Jeremy,” Hedrick said.

Shorey said she and Manley have a strong friendship now. She has met his wife and kids, and Shorey has offered to try and repay Manley for her new lease on life.

“I even offered to babysit so they can have a mother and father out night,” Shorey said.

As much of a whirlwind the past week has been for Manley, it took the recognition of his peers for Manley to see the magnitude of his actions.

“I was just doing what needed to be done at the time,” Manley said. “It didn’t really hit me until later when people go, ‘Wow, that’s amazing what you did.’”

On a tepid afternoon, Manley sheds the knit top in favor of a white Adidas T-shirt, further highlighting the muscles that make moving the wheelchair to Shorey’s passenger-side door so effortless. Because of his quick actions, Manley may be making many more trips to Janet Shorey’s apartment for rides around the Valley.

“We’ll be picking her up at 1 o’clock,” he said.

Contact Derek Casanovas at 352-2284 or derek.cas-anovas@frontiersman.com.