December 31, 2008|By Martin E. Comas, sentinel Staff Writer

~~THE VILLAGES -- This sprawling retirement community has long been touted as "America's Friendliest Hometown

"But resident Dr. David Rowland says his neighbors are not only friendly -- they saved his life.

"If it wasn't for these folks I would not be here today," Rowland, a retired surgeon, said while sitting in his living room last week surrounded by four fast-acting good Samaritans and fellow Villagers. "I am eternally grateful to them.

" Rowland, 71, also credited his neighbor Lew Simon, 68, for leading an effort four years ago to put in place automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in two nearby homes and train more than 40 residents in Rowland's community on how to use the devices, along with performing other lifesaving techniques.

"And I'm living proof that the program that was started here was well worth it," Rowland said.

Neighbors rally quickly.

It happened on Nov. 14. Rowland got up at his usual time of 5:30 a.m., went into the kitchen in his pajamas and handed his wife, Donna, a glass of water. He then collapsed, slamming his head against the dishwasher, and was out cold on the kitchen floor. His heart had stopped working.

Donna Rowland, 62, immediately called 911.

After dispatching paramedics to St. James Circle, the dispatcher at the Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services communications center sent out alerts to Rowland's neighbors' beepers. The neighbors -- Susan Lottes, 62, a retired nurse, and her husband, Ron, 63, a retired executive vice president for Wells Fargo Financial; Simon's wife, Sherrill Simon, a retired teacher; and G. Ray Haven, 66, a retired assistant director for the Homeland Security Department -- all rushed to the Rowland home , some still in their pajamas.

"I didn't care how I was dressed," Susan Lottes said. "You don't even have time to think.

"Not able to find a pulse, Haven started cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mouth-to-mouth.

Touch and go.

Sherrill Simon arrived with the AED in a small suitcase.

While Haven kept pumping up and down on Rowland's chest, the others set up the AED, then placed the paddles on the surgeon's chest. Twice they sent powerful electric jolts into Rowland's body. Between the shocks, Haven kept pumping rhythmically.

EMS crews arrived several minutes later and administered two more shocks. After about five minutes, a faint heartbeat was detected and Rowland was wheeled into the ambulance and sped to The Villages Regional Hospital.

At first doctors said Rowland might not survive. More than 10 minutes -- too much time -- went by before his heart started working on its own. If he did survive, it was likely his brain would be damaged. Rowland underwent a quadruple bypass three days later.

Rowland survived, and a neurologist recently checked that everything in his head was working right. Touch your head with your hand, he was told. Hold out two, three, four fingers. Everything was OK, Rowland was told.

"There's a period of five days that I don't remember anything," he said last week.

"But now I feel great. I'm getting stronger every day.

"'Made the difference'Lew Simon, a certified American Heart Association instructor, said he feels proud of the neighbors he helped train four years ago to save a life.

"It's really what made the difference," he said. Simon happened to be in Longboat Key to teach CPR and AED classes when Rowland's heart stopped.

Simon, a retired financial consultant , set up a similar AED program in a condominium community in Longboat Key several years ago.

When he moved to The Villages in 2004, he suggested the AED program to his neighbors during a community potluck dinner .

The neighbors agreed and within eight weeks they had donated enough money to purchase two AEDs for St. James Circle, emergency-response beepers for 20 residents and training for more than 40 residents.Kimberly Stephens, a communications manager with Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services , said the residents' training, quick thinking and cool heads helped save Rowland's life."It absolutely made a big difference," Stephens said.

"The Villages Department of Public Safety has a very good response. They can be out there in about four or five minutes, which is very good. But when you can decrease that four minutes [in helping a patient] to one or two minutes, it does make a difference.

There are also several AED devices posted at various recreation centers in The Villages.

Simon said each AED machine can cost from $1,500 to $2,000 and they are not hard to learn to use.

"It's so simple. They're made for lay people," he said.

"CPR buys the time. But the AED buys the life."