Local man honored for saving coworker's life

Local man honored for saving coworker's life

Cape Girardeau resident Dustin Farrar was honored by American Red Cross on Friday, Dec. 8, for using his first aid training to save the life of his friend and coworker a year ago.

Micheal Sullivan, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Northeast Arkansas Red Cross Chapter, presented Farrar with the Red Cross Certificate of Merit during a ceremony at Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Station 1.

It is the highest award given by the Red Cross, awarded to those who have no obligation to respond to a crisis but do so anyway.

On Dec. 8, 2022, Dennis Friedrich returned to his job at Southeast Missouri Machine Co. in Cape Girardeau from a lunch break. Then, everything went black.

"The next thing I remember is its four days later and I'm seeing florescent lights go by as I'm lying in a bed," Friedrich said. "They said, 'We're taking you to your regular room because you had a heart attack.' And I'm like, 'Oh, OK.'"

Farrar had found him, unconscious and not breathing, and told office personnel to call 9-1-1. He then began chest compressions and rescue breaths while his father checked for Friedrich's pulse. Several times, Friedrich regained a pulse, but it quickly faded.

Nonetheless, Farrar kept performing CPR until emergency medical technicians arrived. He had taken many Red Cross CPR training courses for his previous job as a physical trainer but said he'd never imagined he'd need to use it.

"I immediately knew what to do, but for a split second you're like, 'Oh my God, this is the real thing,'" Farrar said. "I was going to fight to save my friend and my coworker no matter how terrified I was."

Friedrich was alive but in critical condition. He was rushed into surgery.

"I don't consider myself a hero, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Farrar said.

The real heroes, he added, were the first responders, doctors, dispatchers and even the trainers who taught him CPR.

Still, Friedrich's wife Rita Friedrich said the doctor who worked on him said he'd only fixed Friedrich's heart -- and that it was "the young man at work" who saved her husband's life.

"We don't realize how short and precious life can be and we should embrace every day we have with our loved ones," she said."Dustin, thank you for working so hard to bring Dennis back to us and never giving up on him."

She thanked the EMTs, doctors and other workers who had helped Dennis as well.

"I couldn't have Dennis any other way than here with us today," Farrar said. "He's a good friend of mine and he'll continue to be so for many years to come."

Sullivan said it's important for people to know what to do if they are ever in a situation like Farrar's. He said people can find CPR training courses at the Red Cross website, redcross.org, for virtual, in-person or hybrid classes.