John Bowling with Greg Johnson

John Bowling with Greg Johnson

On Tuesday morning, August 13, Jacksonville resident John Bowling was driving home along South Stage Road when he noticed what he thought was a mannequin lying in the road surrounded by several onlookers. “At first, I figured it was a safety demonstration or some sort of drill,” John thought at the time. It turned-out that a 50-year old Medford man had fallen off his bike after suffering a heart attack around 10:30 am. Seconds after Bowling arrived on-scene, he says an 18-year old person asked him if he knew CPR. Bowling’s annual CPR training as a member of the Mt. Ashland Ski Patrol proved to be a life saver. “I kicked into auto-pilot, checked for a pulse but did not find one… I tilted his head and had another bystander monitor his airway to make sure it was clear. After several minutes of performing chest compressions, I thought there was no chance. At two minutes, he developed a pulse and then after three minutes, he took about six breaths while sputtering and vomiting.” Bowling thought the worst was over until the bicyclist stopped breathing after taking that sixth breath. After more chest compressions, the man began breathing again just as paramedics were arriving on-scene. John says the situation only lasted about ten minutes, “but I had no sense of time.” In the days ahead, Bowling says he wasn’t sure if the stranger he’d saved had survived or not. On Monday, August 19, Bowling met with the stranger – 50-year-old Greg Johnson, a husband and father of two. During a meeting at Rogue Valley Medical Center, the two talked face-to-face and got to know one another. At that time, John Bowling told Mr. Johnson he was just pleased to have been in the right place at the right time. Mr. Johnson’s wife informed the Review that her husband was recovering nicely after double bypass heart surgery and that he had no warning signs of heart issues prior to the bicycling incident. Mrs. Johnson said she and her family feel extremely fortunate that heroes like John Bowling live in our community, and credits him with saving Greg’s life.

Posted August 27, 2013