In the scariest moment of her life, Julia Walsh executed the critical steps that she had been trained for as a lifeguard facing a life or death situation. Her actions were not only decisive, they were serendipitous, as she rescued Dr. Rudi Ansbacher in the pool at the North Campus Recreation Building.

Ansbacher, U-M professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology, had a regular swimming routine at the NCRB and knew Walsh as the morning shift lifeguard. When he went into cardiac arrest, she instantly responded to his abnormal gurgles and pulled him out of the pool to administer CPR and restart his heart with an Automated External Defibrillator.

“I went into robot mode. I knew exactly what to do and I did it. Afterwards I was just shaking and bawling. You don’t know how you’re going to react to things like that,” said Walsh, who continued working for Recreation Sports after graduating last May with a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish.

Walsh triggered one of the most complex systems that patients and healthcare providers face today in beating the odds to survive a sudden cardiac arrest, a leading cause of death in the United States. The chance of survival in these cases is less than one in 10.

Survival requires the bystanders to recognize the cardiac arrest, activate the 911 system and start the most important treatment — resuscitation through CPR and an AED. Only then can paramedics continue the treatment while transporting the patient to the hospital for intensive treatment and recovery.

“Training is essential to respond in a high stress situation. Julia for the first time recognized a cardiac arrest and took those steps. The more people that are trained, the more likely people like Rudi will get that care,” said Dr. Robert Neumar, professor and chair  of the Department of Emergency Medicine, U-M Medical School.

The incident also was a catalyst in supplying an important case study to SaveMiHeart, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving cardiac arrest care and survival in Michigan and beyond. In this case, the difference was the mandatory in-depth lifesaving training that takes place before a lifeguard takes a post at any U-M pool.

“We’re so proud to know that the training that we provide, in an instant, went into place. We couldn’t be more proud of Julia and her actions. For her to take the training seriously and have a positive outcome,” said Mike Widen, director of Recreational Sports.

On July 23, months after the incident occurred, Walsh met Ansbacher again at the pool where he survived. They joined Ansbacher’s family and university representatives who bestowed Walsh with certificates of appreciation and kind words.

For she had saved Ansbacher, a beloved man with a productive career as a teacher, mentor and clinician. Upon receiving his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1959 and on completing an internship at the University of Virginia Hospital, he served as staff physician at the U.S. Army hospital in Okinawa during the Vietnam war. In addition to saving lives, he delivered many of the 180 babies that were born there each month.

While earning his Master of Science degree from 1969-1971, he also was a research fellow at the U-M Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He joined the U-M faculty in 1980 as professor of obstetrics and gynecology and served as acting and interim chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He played an active role in the residency-training program and mentored numerous junior faculty members.

“Julia saved my life. I’m thankful to be here. Being the subject of all this, I’m proud of the training and it being done correctly. I also think the one upstairs was overlooking who I am and what I’ve done. Now I’m wondering what they want me to do next,” Ansbacher said.

“If you have a chance, learn how to help other people. Because the legacy you leave in this life is your children and what you do to help others,” he added.

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• recreational sports