CINCINNATI — Shauna Peters' husband found her sitting half-up in bed, eyes staring into nowhere, barely breathing one night in mid-December.
Her heart had stopped, and she didn't have long to live.
Officers Jan Gehlhar and Kyle Cannemeier responded to their home, pulled an AED out of a patrol cruiser and used CPR and two shocks to restart her heart and give her a new lease on life.
"My first recollection wasn't until my second, third or fourth day in the hospital," Peters said Wednesday.
She was able to give both officers her thanks at a Delhi Township trustee meeting in February and credits their access to an AED with her still being alive to tell the story.
"They wouldn't have shown up without it, and I would not be here talking to you," she said. "That's very clear, so I'm so eternally grateful. I can't hardly talk about it without crying these days."
In an effort to ensure other police departments can deliver similar results, Project Heart ReStart, led by The Christ Hospital Health Network, Rotary Club of Cincinnati, CINTAS and Hamilton County Commissioners, delivered 50 AED units to 26 different police departments spread across Hamilton County Wednesday.
The delivery adds to a 130-unit donation for Hamilton County sheriff's deputies in November.
Hamilton County Police Association member Tim Holloway said Project Heart ReStart worked with them to identify the departments most in need of the units ahead of delivery.
"They're going to make a difference, and they're going to save lives," Holloway said.
The goal, he said, would be to get as many units in as many cruisers as possible.
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"Our goal is that every department here in Hamilton County, one or two or three of those officers on shift every single day are going to have one of them," Holloway said.
Steve King with the Rotary Club and Project Heart ReStart said Wednesday's delivery marked the mid-point of Phase II, and they will continue to fund-raise for an additional 50 AED units at $2,000 each.
While not official, King said he hoped Phase III would involve spreading the model developed to equip police departments in greater Cincinnati and spread it across the state.
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Peters said she'd be cheering the effort from Delhi.
"It needs to be made a priority because, think about it, it's somebody's life," she said.
King said anyone who'd like to help them reach their goal can donate to the Christ Hospital Foundation.
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