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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Sources: Brian Mulanda, 785-532-2980, bmulanda@k-state.edu;
Lawrence Sanchez, 785-532-6422, lsanchez@k-state.edu;
and Parrish Quick, 785-532-6412, pquick@k-state.edu
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Nellie Ryan, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu

Monday, August 25, 2008

K-STATE GRADUATE STUDENT, STAFFER HELP SAVE FACULTY MEMBER'S LIFE

MANHATTAN -- A Kansas State University graduate student and a K-State staff member were recently recognized for their life-saving heroics.

Brian Mulanda, Manhattan, who just earned his master's degree in computer science from K-State, and Lawrence Sanchez, a computer systems analyst with K-State computing and telecommunications services, helped save the life of K-State faculty member George L. Marchin Jr. after he collapsed and stopped breathing June 17 while exercising at K-State's Memorial Stadium.

Mulanda and Sanchez performed CPR on Marchin, 67, while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Marchin, an associate professor of biology, was taken to Mercy Regional Health Center and has made a full recovery.

The incident happened around 11 a.m. June 17, according to K-State police department reports. Mulanda was working in the southeast corner of the stadium on a robotic experiment. He said he knew something was wrong when two ladies ran by him screaming for someone to call 911.

"When I saw the ladies rush over I knew there was someone in need," Mulanda said. "My response was that I had to go help."

The women were running toward an emergency call box, which was being worked on by Sanchez.

"I heard these two women say that someone was not breathing," Sanchez said. "I asked them where he was, then I dropped what I was doing and ran over there. It was a pure adrenaline rush. I sprinted to him pretty quickly because his life was on the line."

When Mulanda and Sanchez arrived, they found Marchin lying on the ground unconscious. His face had turned blue because he had stopped breathing and his skin was cold to the touch. After a few seconds of observation, both Sanchez and Mulanda knew that something needed to be done, so they decided to start performing CPR.

"I was doing chest compressions and Brian was breathing in, and finally Marchin took a huge deep breath," Sanchez said. "It was like a huge sigh of relief. I kept telling him, 'Don't you leave us! Don't you leave us!' I wasn't about to let someone die."

While both Sanchez and Mulanda have had formal CPR training, they said they had never used it in a real-life situation until they saw Marchin.

"I remembered a little bit about my CPR training, that you have to give breaths, you have to pump the chest and clear the airways," Mulanda said. "In that stressful of a situation, sometimes you forget the details, but we did what we remembered and it seemed to have helped the victim."

"I did four years in the military and we did combat medical training," Sanchez said. "When someone is dying you can't let that training go to waste. He might have a wife, grandkids, family -- people who depend on him."

Parrish Quick, a K-State police officer arrived on the scene just after CPR had been performed. After hearing that Marchin had stopped breathing, he was surprised to see him so coherent. Other officers on the scene told Quick about how Mulanda and Sanchez had performed CPR on Marchin and saved his life. Quick is the CPR instructor for the K-State Police Department.

"I made contact with both of them. They said they didn't feel like what they did was a big deal," Quick said. "I told them that I disagreed with them because not everyone has the willingness to step up and do it.

"I did what I had to do to save that guy's life," Sanchez said. "It's just human nature."

"I don't necessarily see myself as a hero," Mulanda said. "But I realize that there are some decisions we can make that can have a huge impact on others, this being one of them."

Quick, though, wanted to make sure both men were recognized for their life-saving efforts. At a ceremony Aug. 5, arranged by the K-State Police Department and led by Ronnie Grice, director of the campus police department, both men were recognized for their efforts -- although Sanchez was unable to attend because of a prior commitment. The recognition included awards to both men to thank them for their courage and ability to act in an emergency situation.

"I'm glad that they were recognized because they deserve it," Quick said. "I wish everybody could find out about this so they could know what really makes a difference."