Crime & Safety

Off-Duty Firefighter Saves Life During Soccer Game

Firefighter Stephanie Cizek left the soccer field to administer CPR to a fellow player.

 

Howard County firefighter recruit Stephanie Cizek was playing in a soccer game at the Soccer Dome near Arundel Mills mall when she saw a fellow player, Mike Greenhill, 53, begin to feel ill and sit on the bench.

She saw Greenhill’s chin hit his chest as he began to slump on the bench. She and a referee ran over to assist Greenhill. They were there when he lost his pulse and became unconscious, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

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Cizek, 21, immediately began CPR and instructed someone to call 911 and find an automatic external defibrillator. When Anne Arundel paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, Cizek helped prepare Greenhill to be transported to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. He has since made a full recovery, according to HCDFRS.

“She was my angel,” said Greenhill, according to HCDFRS.

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Audrey Lones, Greenhill’s sister, told HCDFRS that many different doctors have told the family that it was the CPR at the Soccer Dome that was the major factor in saving Greenhill’s life.

“We could not be more grateful to her,” said Lones.

“I’m still overwhelmed by everything from that night,” which occurred in April, said Cizek, who works out of the Banneker Fire Sation in Columbia. “I’m glad I was there at the right time.”

The fire department shared the story this week to remind residents of National Emergency Medical Services Week, which ends on Saturday, May 26.

“Cizek jumped in and started CPR, modeling great behavior that we want to see in our citizens and bystanders,” said HCDFRS Medical Director Dr. Kevin Seaman. 

To learn more about National EMS week see Patch’s article earlier this week – “Take a Class, Save a Life During National EMS Week.

Editor's note: The original story said the Soccer Dome was in Arundel Mills, it is in fact located nearby the mall complex. The story has been corrected.


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