Rick Riney arrived early at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, eager to rehearse with the choir for a special Mass. Outside, a line of worshippers stretched into the parking lot, waiting to venerate the relic of St. Jude the Apostle. Inside, the service began, the air heavy with devotion.
As Rick sang with the choir, he suddenly collapsed. A collective gasp swept through the congregation. Breaking the silence, a woman’s urgent voice called out: “Is anyone a doctor or knows CPR?” A man immediately stepped forward, beginning chest compressions. The priest paused the Mass, and the congregation instinctively began reciting Hail Mary’s in unison. Rick's wife, Barbara, sat frozen in shock just feet away. Trembling, she managed to call their daughter, Carrie, who chairs the American Heart Association’s Montgomery County
Heart Ball.
Her son-in-law, Scott Greenberg, a cardiac electrophysiologist, answered the call. “I’m on my way,” he assured her, rushing to the church. Dr. Greenberg arrived swiftly, assisting with care until paramedics took over. Emergency responders delivered two life-saving shocks with an AED, reviving Rick’s heart. Miraculously, he survived and was transported to St. Luke’s Health–The Woodlands Hospital, where Dr. Chacko Alexander, a cardiologist, awaited him. Thanks to quick intervention and effective CPR, Rick avoided brain damage—a rare outcome for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Carrie and Dr. Greenberg expressed deep gratitude. “It’s a miracle,” Carrie said. “The quick actions of everyone involved saved my dad. It’s a powerful reminder of why we support the American Heart Association’s mission to educate and equip communities to act in emergencies.”
It’s a powerful reminder of why we support the American Heart Association’s mission to educate and equip communities to act in emergencies.”