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August 7, 2009, began like any other Friday for both Travis Barnes and Ken Solter, but it soon proved to be anything but normal.
Ken collapsed shortly after 6 a.m. that morning while playing basketball at Gates Sports Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). “All I remember is running down the court and everything turned gray. I tried desperately to stand up, but it felt like I was being pulled back to the ground. The next thing I
remember is waking up in the hospital,” recalls Ken.
Travis, a student working at the Gates Center service desk, first knew something was wrong when Al Bowden, one of Ken’s teammates, came running out of the gym saying that Ken fell and needed some water. As Travis went for the water, another teammate said “Ken’s not breathing!” Travis related the next few minutes this way: “I just grabbed the AED (automatic external defibrillator) and ran into the gym. Two guys from Physical Plant who work third shift in Gates were about to
leave, so I yelled at them to call 9-1-1 and be ready to guide first responders to the gym. A Fort Wayne police officer was there and he helped me put the leads on Ken. The machine assessed his condition and indicated it was going to shock him-it did-and after it did we began CPR. University police arrived right after that and I backed away from Ken to let them to do their job. A couple of minutes later the medics got there and they took over from the police.” Shortly after that, Ken was transported to a local hospital.
Some people might panic in a situation like that, but Travis credits his military training with being able to keep a cool head in tense times. “I received some first aid training in the Marines, and was trained by Safety Officer Rick Igney of IPFW’s Police Department in how to use the AED.” Training in the proper use of the AED as well as basic first aid is a requirement to work at the Customer Service Desk in Gates.
Travis, a 26-year old senior studying political science at IPFW, left the university after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 to enlist in the Marines. After serving three tours in Iraq, he returned to his studies at IPFW in 2006, and will graduate next spring.
Ken, a 44-year old father of three and husband of a coronary critical care nurse, is the General Manager at Ferrellgas in Fort Wayne. When he can, he plays basketball early Friday mornings. Teammate Al Bowden said, “It’s a pretty informal group that got started more than 30 years ago at the old YWCA on Wells Street. Some of us are the original players and a lot of the guys have been with the team for more than 20 years. We moved the game to IPFW quite a few years ago and Ken joined us a couple of years ago.”
Now well on the road to recovery, Ken had a pace maker/defibrillator placed in his chest. “I’ve been able to run a couple of times over the past few days, but it’s a little scary. If this would have happened on one of my four-mile runs, the result could have been disastrous. I’m very grateful the AED was on site and someone there was willing to try it out on me. The other day I noticed an AED on the wall in my doctor’s office and normally, I wouldn’t have paid any attention to it, but things are a little different for me now.”
Ken, Travis, others who had a hand in saving Ken’s life, and his basketball team, will be the guests of honor at a special luncheon hosted by IPFW Chancellor Mike Wartell, Wednesday, Aug. 26, at noon in Room 235 of the Rhinehart Music Center. “We have many exemplary students at IPFW, but it’s not everyday that we can honor one who helped save someone’s life. We’re extremely pleased that the student-workers at Gates receive life-saving training with the AED’s. I wish the best of luck for a speedy and complete recovery for Ken and hope he’s soon able to be back on the court.” The other people involved in saving Ken’s life include Physical Plant employees Adam Gaff and John Scorof, Jr., Fort Wayne Police Department Deputy Chief Doug Lucker, and University Police Officers Cleveland Inge and Duane Romines, the first responders to work on Ken, Officer Rick Wiegmann also answered the 9-1-1- call, as did first shift Lt. Kent Notestine, who responded before his shift began. University Police Chief Jeff Davis will present these four with medals and certificates for their actions at the luncheon.
How do Ken’s teammates, Travis, and Ken feel about everything that has happened in the past few weeks? Ken and his teammates got together on another early Friday morning, just one week after the incident. Al Bowden said, “Everyone there that day did an amazing job; it was a real life and death situation. When Ken walked into the gym with his wife just one week later, we sure were glad to see him. The team prayed for him the day he collapsed, and we did again that day, in thanks that he was still with us.” Travis, who is IPFW’s 2009 Lugar Scholar and leaves for Washington, D.C. this Friday to participate in a semester-long internship in Senator Lugar’s office, is just glad he was able to help. Ken is, too.
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