American Heart Association honors Pee Dee heroes

By: SCNow Staff | SCNow
Published: August 21, 2008

The American Heart Association honored a few local heroes at its annual Heart Walk team leader kickoff Thursday at McLeod Plaza.

Marquita, 22, and Marcus Graves, 17, were honored with certificates of accomplishment for their CPR skills learned in high school, which they used to save their brother Jay’s life when he had a heart attack last year.

Darlene Lynch, regional manager of emergency cardiac care of the American Heart Association, presented the award to the Graveses.

“We give that award out all over the United State when we hear of rescuers who have saved a life due to cardiac arrest using CPR,” she said.

But, Lynch said, it is not often when they are notified about such instances.

Marcus Graves said it felt great to receive an award.

“It’s a great experience,” he said. “People get to learn about CPR and how to help raise money for the American Heart Association.”

Marquita Graves said she hopes the AHA will be able to bring more focus to the issue of heart disease.

“It can bring awareness to different types of heart disease and what the community can do to get involved on local levels,” she said.

Jay Graves now is able to walk around unfettered by the heart monitor he was forced to wear only a few short months ago. He attended the event and stood on the stage with his heroic siblings as they were presented with the awards.

Jay Graves was able to return to school this fall, thanks to the research made possible by a small research grant from the American Heart Association, which led to the discovery and use of CPR in medical settings throughout the world, said Becky Owens, director of corporate relations for the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate of the American Heart Association.

Owens said without such events as the Annual Start! Heart Walk, people like Marquita and Marcus Graves — and many doctors, nurses and surgeons — couldn’t have the lifesaving knowledge they used to save Jay Graves’ life.

Courtney Ellicott, director of communications and marketing for the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate of the American Heart Association, said it’s a rare instance when people are in a situation like the one the Graves family faced and are still able to handle themselves well enough to use the skills they’ve learned to save someone else’s life.

But the Graves children did it, right down to the youngest of them, Angel, who flagged down the ambulance to rescue her brother Jay, Ellicott said.