Kevin Miller, PharmD '22, had his emergency rescue skills put to the test on a seemingly normal weekday afternoon in May 2023. While he was finishing up his shift at a community pharmacy in Port Chester, N.Y., a man collapsed.
"I got a page from the system asking for a doctor or a nurse, but there wasn't anyone else around," he says. "I sped on over to see what was going on, and there was a man lying flat on his back. He wasn't breathing."
After informing bystanders to call 911, Miller checked for a pulse. Once he determined that the man's heartbeat had stopped, he quickly started chest compressions. As he helped the man breathe manually, he instructed a nearby pharmacy staff member to bring the automated external defibrillator. Thankfully, Miller had been well-trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during his time at Binghamton University and knew a shock might be necessary.
Miller performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took over care for the man, who had suffered a cardiac arrest. He understood that every minute is precious when a life is on the line.
"As I told them, if he's suffering from a heart attack, his heart won't be pumping blood and he won't be able to actually breathe," Miller says. "Even after they arrived, I continued with compressions to keep his heart working manually."
Thanks to Miller's quick response, the patient lived. His family reached out to Miller to thank him. A few weeks later, the man passed away, but his family found comfort in knowing his last moments were peaceful.
"The family told me that because of me, they were able to say goodbye," Miller says. "I'm just happy I was able to give them that."
Later that evening, former assistant professor William Eggleston, Miller's CPR instructor, was attending a Binghamton University alumni reception when his former student arrived and relayed his story.
"It was surreal - he came up to me at the event and immediately started telling me what happened at the pharmacy that very same day," Eggleston says. "As an educator, it was a great experience to hear that your student felt prepared and was able to successfully perform those skills."
Eggleston has worked with multiple groups of Binghamton pharmacy students over the years and remembers that Miller was always asking questions and wanted to know every possible application of every technique. So, it came as no surprise when Eggleston learned that Miller had successfully performed an emergency rescue.
The rescue has inspired Miller to further advocate for widespread CPR training. He firmly believes in the importance of comprehensive emergency rescue programs.
"It could be anybody, anywhere," Miller says. "I'm thankful the CPR courses I took were so thorough, and if more people were exposed to programs like the one at Binghamton, I really think it would make a difference."
