In 2020, Living for Zachary donated four AEDs to Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council camps across North Texas. More than four years later in March 2024, four friends spending their weekend at Camp Constantin in Graford, Texas would experience a life-changing event that would bond them together forever. In a tiny town with the nearest hospital more than 30 minutes away, one of these friends experienced a cardiac emergency. Thanks to the three men around him and the presence of an AED, he is here today.
Hear the remarkable story of how Greg Hughes’ life was saved by his friends Luke Sherwin, Ernie Janecka, and Michael Cheney in their own words:
For Greg, the presence of an AED and people who were willing and able to use it meant the difference between life and death. Looking back at the experience, mostly relayed to him by Ernie, Luke, and Mike, he is overwhelmed by the heroism of his friends. “I’m grateful. I wouldn’t be here without these guys.” All four men have been working together through Boy Scouts of America for at least a decade, with Greg and Ernie’s friendship going back all the way to 1997. A palpable bond is present between them, something that surely aided in their quick response and teamwork during Greg’s emergency. Now, that bond is even stronger and will certainly last a lifetime.
Because of his role in performing CPR and using the AED to save Greg’s life, Luke Sherwin has been nominated for the Scout America National Life Saving Award. Luke knows teamwork made the difference. “All of the pieces had to be done. The fact that we could do them all at the same time increased the odds. Getting CPR going within the first minute, getting the AED in route, getting a 911 call in all happened at the same time, all of those things improved the outcome. The AED came to life, it did what it was supposed to, it talked to us, it monitored while we were there, and it took us from small odds to really good ones.”
Today, Greg is continuing to recover with the help of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and looks forward to returning to camp as soon as he is able. As for Ernie, Luke, and Mike? They are just happy to have their friend Greg here with them today – no recognition needed. In Mike’s words, “He went down. He needed help. We just reacted – it was just what needed to be done. There was no heroism about it at all. We had a friend who we loved who was down. And we helped bring him back.”
