Be A Hero

Red Cross volunteer Jennifer was out to lunch when she noticed another man choking on his food. She quickly sprung into action, saving the man's life.  

Jeff, a healthcare worker at Akron General's heart catheterization laboratory, helped save one man's life when he had an emergency and when he needed a lifesaving procedure. 

Seven-year-old Evelyn came to the rescue when she heard her neighbor screaming for help nextdoor. Without her quick thinking and heroic response, the situation could've been much worse. 

Chris is a teacher at the Medina County Career Center and has Red Cross training - training that kicked in when a student needed it. 

Davey Tree employee Ashley Wise was beginning her morning at the company's headquarters when she noticed her colleague was in distress. Realizing the person was choking, Ashley remembered the first aid training she received nearly 20 years ago and started giving back blows. She then performed stomach thrusts and was able to dislodge the food blocking her co-worker's airway.

No one will argue the fact that firefighters are heroes. But when a firefighter, or in this case a fire chief, takes time out of his already busy schedule to organize blood drives, it's going above and beyond his call of duty. That's the story you'll hear today, the story of Columbia Township Fire Department   Chief Ray Anthony, an American Red Cross Blood Hero.

We continue our countdown to the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio's Hero Awards with the story of Pam Oglesbee. Pam is a retired Registered Nurse who was one of the first to volunteer to administer COVID-19 vaccinations at clinics around Putnam County during the onset of the pandemic. Pam is the inaugural recipient of the Clara Ayres Award for Extraordinary Service, and rightly so, as you'...

Tiffin Police Officer Christofer Perry spoke with our host, Christy Peters, about the day he was called to perform a welfare check and wound up saving the life of a man he wasn't even there to check on.

Cassie Cisar and Marissa Smith are coworkers for a local transportation company for adults with disabilities and Susan Miller is an assistant manager of a local storer.   Little did any of then know that one day that their lives would be forever changed and connected after a road rage shooting in Amherst Township.

Melissa Roszman is a caregiver and was working in an elderly community when she saw smoke coming from a nearby apartment. Without hesitating, Melissa sprung into action, potentially saving a life that day.  

Findlay Police Officer Nicholas Price joined our host of this episode, Kyle Adam, to talk about the day of the Findlay Art Walk, and how his training kicked in when a local man was suffering a medical emergency.

Northern Ohio Red Cross Volunteer Paul Hiszem tells about his recent deployment to Canada as part of the relief effort amid the country's worst wildfire season in 30 years. 

Demeatrice Nance has been advocating for her Sickle Cell Warrior, Makenzie, since she was diagnosed after birth in October of 2003. Since then she's become a champion for blood donation and a hero to sickle cell patients everywhere. 

For Twinsburg Firefighter and Paramedic Izzy Abdallah, his off day was anything but. 

Uber Driver Matthew Certain noticed something strange after dropping off his first rider one February evening - the neighbor's garage was on fire! That's when he sprung into action and potentially saved a life. 

Cleveland Heights/ University Heights School District Bus Driver Dorian Pace was working his normal bus route when something went wrong. A mechanical failure on the bus forced Dorian to act fast and make sure a busload of kids were safe and unharmed. 

For members of the U.S. Coast Guard working at the Cleveland Harbor Station, things can change at a moments notice. That was the case this October day that started out calm and quickly turned into a daring rescue mission. 

For Nasir Ahmad, deployment was nothing new. As an Air Force veteran, he'd been on multiple deployments. But this his first as a member of the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces team was new territory for him. 

In this episode five Red Cross disaster responders from Northern Ohio talk about how they helped people impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton during the early autumn of 2024.  

Officers Holly Alferio and Alexis Dixon of the Avon, Ohio police department saved the life of a choking child on Halloween in 2023.  They have been chosen as winners of a 2024 Hero Award, presented by the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio.  On this episode, the officers explain how they came across a panicked mother on the side of the road, as they were on their way to pass out candy.

Jerry Klear and Bob Verhoff teamed up to save a physically-challenged woman and her young granddaughter from a home fire in rural Ottawa County, and for their heroics, they are receiving a 2024 Hero Award from the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio.  Jerry was driving by when he noticed smoke coming from the home, and Bob is a niehgbor who also saw the fire.  They describe what they did and...

A team effort helped save a young driver who fell asleep behind the wheel and flipped his car into a water-filled ditch.  The first bystander to stop called 9-1-1, while two others broke a window in an attempt to pull the driver out of the upside down car. Deputy Dylan Rohrbaugh and Lt. Craig Ritz of the Erie County, Ohio Sheriff's Department arrived shortly thereafter, and describe the way in whi...

September is National Preparedness Month. The American Red Cross encourages residents to g et ready for disasters by making a plan to stay safe, gathering important supplies and knowing how you'll stay connected .  19 News Meteorologist Jeff Tanchak explains the current weather patterns that may have a bearing on what kind of winter we should expect in Northern Ohio.