Man saved at White Oak pool offers thanks to lifeguards, EMS
Kenneth Medved believes a heart-related incident prevented him from being able to get out of the water.
Kenneth Medved, a resident of White Oak and a member of the Mon/Yough Trail Council, was rescued Saturday by lifeguards and EMS providers after a medical emergency at the White Oak Heritage Pool.
Medved expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the lifeguards’ and first responders’ life-saving efforts, feeling overwhelmingly thankful for their help. Medved was taken to UPMC Presbyterian in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Oakland, where he said he has started feeling better.
Medved said doctors were still taking tests, but he believes the incident might have been cardiac arrest or something heart-related.
“I just dove off the diving board like I’ve done hundreds of times before, and then when I started to come up, I just couldn’t,” Medved said. “I started flailing in my legs and my arms. I really had to fight to get to the top to get to the surface, and then when I did, I still was flailing and trying to stay above water, and then I just kind of slipped under, and that’s all I remember until I was in an ambulance.”
Medved said he was expecting to be discharged today and emphasized that he is incredibly grateful for the life-saving efforts of the lifeguards and EMS. Medved doesn’t know the names of the lifeguards who helped, but said he was thankful for everyone who played a part in saving his life.
“I just wanted to give a shout out to the young men and women lifeguards at the White Oak Heritage Pool and also the White Oak EMS,” he said. “I had an unfortunate incident. The doctors aren’t sure exactly what had happened yet. They’re still doing tests, but it has something to do with the heart and cardiac. I just wanted to make sure these young men and women get credit where it is due.
“They (lifeguards) just stepped up and got the job done, and they basically saved my life. They did all that on their own until the professional EMS folks appeared, so they kept me alive.”
The Mon Valley Independent contacted the White Oak Heritage Pool, but staff stated they could not speak on the incident.
“They (lifeguards) just stepped up and got the job done, and they basically saved my life. They did all that on their own until the professional EMS folks appeared, so they kept me alive.”
KENNETH MEDVED
