Well, our next story comes straight From the Heart, literally.

Research shows more than 430,000 people die each year in the U.S. from cardiac arrests.

Carolina Impact's Dara Khalid and videographer Marcellus Jones introduce us to a lucky woman who survived and now teaches others how they can help save lives.

- Charge at 200 joules.

Everyone clear.

- Clear.

(machine banging) - I got a pulse.

He's in sinus rhythm.

- [Dara] If you're a fan of medical shows like "Chicago Med," chances are you've seen something like this.

- Start dopamine at 10 and titrate to a systolic of 90.

- Yes, sir.

- Get a 12-lead EKG.

- [Dara] But Eric Schwabenlender wasn't watching TV when this happened.

- So, I walked over to the powder room and I looked in there, sorry.

(gentle poignant music) She was kind of on her knees, like looking under the toilet.

And I was like, I said, what are you doing?

What are you looking at?

And then she didn't respond.

- [Dara] He calls it the worst day of his life when his wife Karen had a sudden cardiac arrest, which is an electrical problem, not to be confused with a heart attack that's a circulation issue.

Every year in the U.S., there are over 350,000 incidents like Karen's.

Her husband remembers every detail of July 12th, 2023.

- I called 911, and they pulled her out here.

And of course, her hand was in the paint.

So, there was paint everywhere on the carpet and everything.

(siren wailing) And the worst things go through your mind.

And the fact that you can't do anything, you just, you have to rely on other people.

- [Dara] Karen can't remember anything about that day, but she does remember this.

- When family and friends and neighbors came to see me in the hospital, I just, I would just lose it emotionally because I thought, gosh, this happened to me.

- [Dara] Her two neighbors saved her life by doing CPR until EMTs got there.

According to the American Heart Association, if a bystander does CPR right away, it can double or even triple the chance of survival.

- Because if you don't go deep enough, all that blood's just gonna stay in the heart.

It's never gonna feed the brain and the other organs.

- [Dara] Which is why Karen started From the Heart CPR in 2015 and became a certified CPR instructor.

- You start to think, okay, well, why did I survive?

Why was I some of that 10%?

So, it's like I say in every class, my work wasn't done, and maybe that's why it happened.

So, that I can share the need to learn CPR with others.

- [Dara] Every week, you'll find her pushing on the chest of dummies at businesses and nonprofits, showing people what to do in emergencies.

- One thing she told us to do was lock it and pop it.

I won't ever forget.

- As she said, this could happen to anyone at any point.

We all depend on that electrical activity in our heart, and at any moment, that could just kind of go haywire.

- [Dara] And at the beginning of every class.

- They worked on me for about 20 minutes.

I ended up getting shot five times on scene.

- Karen takes the time to share her story of how she almost died to something that claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, the flu, pneumonia, car accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.

- Her own story is so memorable.

She's doing this From the Heart.

She's doing this because CPR saved her life.

And so, she really is paying it forward.

- She turned what could have been a horrific tragedy into something that was so meaningful for the community.

Many people don't do that.

And so, really just tells you what a special person she is.

- In addition to teaching CPR classes, Karen also donates defibrillators like these.

Now, it may look small, but experts say it's mighty when it comes to saving lives.

- The AED will recognize the arrhythmia associated with cardiac arrest and will shock people back in rhythm.

If you can get the AED on quickly, that's the best thing to do.

- [Dara] AEDs or automated external defibrillators can be found in public places like airports, schools, and malls.

Experts estimate that in the U.S., about 1,700 lives are saved every year by bystanders using them.

Dr. Sherry Saxonhouse from Atrium Health showed us how they work.

- One goes on the chest and one goes on the side, and then you turn it on, and it tells you exactly what to do.

- [Dara] For some like Karen, there aren't any symptoms, just a random incident.

For others, there are warning signs like shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, and passing out.

- There you go.

Yeah!

- Nice.

- Did you catch that mid-air?

- Good girl.

- Good girl!

- [Dara] It's been 11 years since Karen's life stopped, but she isn't letting the trauma stop her.

- Just find a way to make a little mark in the world.

(Karen sobbing) - [Dara] From showing love that comes straight From the Heart.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Dara Khalid.