NEW LOTHROP, Mich. – In his seven years as a nurse in the adult emergency department at Michigan Medicine, Taylor Krupp has saved countless lives.
But it’s a rescue that happened far from the hospital that Krupp will never forget.
It started when Krupp traveled back to his hometown for a pickleball tournament.
New Lothrop is a small village west of Flint, with a population just over 500 people. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone.
“There’s like 20 of us, aunts, uncles, cousins, you know, just a bunch of friends and family, and it was just like any other night,” said Krupp.
Krupp’s uncle Keith Vrable, 56, was among those playing in the tournament.
“They played their games first. We were all kind of watching. Finished his game. He won. He beat the one seed, which was pretty impressive,” recalled Krupp. “I see my aunt just kind of look through me, scream my uncle’s name, and I turn around quick, and he’s on the ground.”
Krupp immediately shifted to nurse mode. Vrable had no pulse. Krupp immediately began doing chest compressions.
“I hollered for my mom to get the phone, call 911, put it on speaker,” said Krupp.
The owner of the gym immediately ran for the facility’s AED.
As Krupp continued compressions, others opened the device and helped position the pads on Vrable’s chest.
“Once the pads were on, then we just kind of let the machine take over. We took a pause, listened. It called for a shock, and it defibrillated him the first time, and then I got back on the chest,” said Krupp.
Vrable opened his eyes.
“His wife and family are coming up, and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, thank you. Thank you,’” said Krupp. “But in my mind, I’m like, ‘We’re not out of this, you know?’ So 30 seconds, he’s kind of talking, and then he kind of gazes off, and he just goes out again.”
Krupp resumes compressions and the AED calls for another shock.
An ambulance arrives, but it’s a basic life support rig, without the advanced medications and equipment Vrable needs.
His heart stops again. Again, he receives a shock from the AED.
“The third time, he like basically came to right away. He was just like, ‘Don’t do that again.’ So it was like, I kind of smiled, and as bad as that was, it’s a great sign for me,” said Krupp.
Krupp continued caring for his uncle on the ride to the hospital.
“We got him there, doctors did an EKG and he was in the Cath Lab 15 minutes later,” said Krupp. “It was incredible. They found his LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery, was fully occluded, which is like the ‘widow maker.’”
Doctors opened the blocked artery with a stent.
“They kept him for 24 hours, discharged him the next day and other than just some really, really sore ribs, no restrictions, no complaints, nothing,” said Krupp.
Saving lives is part of the job for an ER nurse, but Krupp admits, this experience was very different.
“Everybody that was in that building has known everybody their entire lives, whether they’re family, friends, whatever,” said Krupp. “When it’s your aunt’s voice, or when it’s your your cousin’s words, like that is what kind of kicked back in to me.”
He can’t help but think of the what ifs.
“He’s about to have a second grandbaby in a couple months. His middle child is getting married this August. So it’s never a good time to die, but this is, this was a really bad time,” said Krupp.
Thanks to receiving immediate CPR and that critical AED, Vrable is doing great.
“He went up with his family because they were playing pickleball, so he wanted just to watch,” said Krupp. “And he had no restrictions, so he’s like, ‘I was gonna play one game and end up playing seven.’ So that was awesome. I mean, he texted me that and I’m just like, ‘You’re insane man, just take it easy for two seconds.’”
The rescue has made an impression on everyone there. Vrable, his wife and six other family members have since gotten CPR and AED-certified, a move Krupp applauds.
“You do not need to be an ER nurse of seven years to be able to have the outcome that I had. I mean, there’s stories every week across the country of a wife of 30 years saving her husband, or some innocent bystander with no experience, just one class, learning how to do just good, efficient compressions,” said Krupp.
It’s also important to learn where the AEDs are in your community.
“Call 911, get someone there who has the equipment you need, be aware of it,” said Krupp. “You never know who has one. I didn’t. I truly wouldn’t have thought that my gym in my town of 500 people would have one.”
Nursing can be a very stressful profession, but the incident has only strengthened Krupp’s commitment to caring for patients and educating others.
“It doesn’t have to be the end. You can do the right things. You can get great outcomes and change people’s lives,” said Krupp.
To learn hands-only CPR at home, click here.
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---> Go 4 It: Learn how to save lives with hands-only CPR training
To learn more about CPR certification courses available at the University of Michigan, click here.
The 10th Annual SaveMiHeart Conference, June 6, 2025, in Detroit, brings together experts, first responders, and survivors to improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest care.
You can learn more about the conference and the virtual Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor Meet-up at SaveMiHeart. You can register here.