Deputy in the right place at right time; with right skills

Andy Ellsworth was busy achieving his goal obtaining a mechanical engineering degree last week, and was unable to attend the ceremony at the Government Center, but his mom was there. Joanne Ellsworth, pictured with Chisago County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Edmonds, was thrilled to be able to publicly thank the deputy for her son Andrew being alive.

Edmonds received the Sheriff’s Lifesaving Award May 15. In mid- February Deputy Edmonds was on patrol when dispatch alerted cars that CPR was in progress on a male with an undiagnosed medical condition, at an address in Nessel Township. Edmonds put his squad car’s AED (automatic external defibrillator) into use immediately upon responding and successfully shocked Andrew twice, and returned heart rhythm. He was taken by ambulance to Cambridge Hospital and airlifted. Andrew found out he has a congenital condition called ARVD, had surgery to implant a device to maintain his heart beat and things are looking excellent. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is believed to be the cause of heart failure in a large number of cases where people younger than 30 experience sudden death.