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SACRAMENTO–

With the use of this defibrillator device and some extra knowledge, officer Thelma Matthews saved the life of a 47-year-old man who had collapsed Sunday afternoon on a soccer field at Sac State.

“The machine shock[ed] the patient once. By the time he was hooked to a hard machine from the fire department, the patient thankfully had a heart rhythm,” Matthews said.

Officer Matthews doesn’t consider herself a hero.

“I did what needed to be done, my training kicked in and I took care of him the best that I could,” Matthews said.

The best she could was more than expected. Matthews spent several years training as an EMT.

“Nobody asked me to take any training. But, to me, working in the community for Sac State University we have so many medical calls. And I love medicine, it’s been my passion,” Matthews said.

She is a certified CPR instructor with the Red Cross, and she stresses the importance of everyone getting some training.

“I think it is important for everybody to know first aid skills we need to do. If we start CPR in less than ten minutes, the chances of surviving are increasing.”