Bystanders step in with CPR, an AED to save a man’s life

What began as a family outing to watch fireworks became a fight for Erik Allen's life.

Today, he and his partner, Alisha Walters York, are grateful not only for the strangers who stepped in to perform CPR, but also for the AdventHealth Littleton team that guided him through the next chapter of his recovery.

On July 3, Allen, Walters York and their family walked to Clement Park for the Red, White & You fireworks celebration.

Shortly after sitting down, Allen knew something was wrong.

"I felt the blood drain from my body," he recalled. "I vaguely remember saying, 'Whoa,' and then it was just lights out."

Allen had gone into cardiac arrest.

As thousands of people gathered around for the celebration, Walters York called for help.

"Someone immediately started doing CPR, and someone else got an AED," she said. "I was panicked and screaming, but a whole family of strangers comforted me."

Those lifesaving actions gave Allen the chance to receive the expert care waiting for him at AdventHealth Littleton.

"The next thing I remember is waking up at AdventHealth Littleton," he said. "There was a team of 15 people in scrubs around me. I think my first words were probably something like, 'Well that sucked.'"

Behind the humor is deep appreciation for the caregivers who were ready to act the moment he arrived.

From the emergency department through his recovery in the cardiovascular ICU (CVICU), Allen experienced the coordinated, compassionate care that defines AdventHealth Littleton.

While he remembers only pieces of those first moments, he knows an entire team came together with the goal of saving his life.

For Walters York, the experience reinforced just how much every link in the chain of survival matters, from prepared bystanders to highly trained health care professionals.

"The fact that there was an AED and someone there that was CPR certified and started on him so quickly -- they helped save his life," she said.

Today, Allen hopes his story encourages others to be prepared for the unexpected.

"I should be CPR certified," he said. "Everybody should know CPR."

Walters York agrees.

"It's crucial, obviously," she said.

Allen's story is also a reminder of the difference compassionate, expert care can make during life's most difficult moments.

Every day, AdventHealth Littleton caregivers combine advanced clinical expertise with heartfelt compassion to care for patients and families when they need it most.

That commitment extends beyond the hospital walls.Since 2023, the AdventHealth Littleton Foundation has partnered with cardiac catheterization lab nurse Kara Baker to install 10 publicly accessible SaveStation AEDs outside schools and stadiums throughout Littleton and Douglas County, helping more people have access to lifesaving equipment when every second counts.