A life-saving miracle

Jim Riggio

Roy Vujovich was in good spirits and honored to be asked to present

the “Bowl”, a trophy that for the first time was being awarded to the

winner of the Hoover-Glendale track and field meet at Hoover High last

Thursday.

The 73-year old’s presence at Hoover was not only a surprise because

has hasn’t taught in the Glendale Unified School District since retiring

in 1982, but also a shock when one considers the circumstances he has

faced the last two months.

Just seven weeks ago, the former head football coach at both Glendale

and Hoover highs and a longtime teacher in Glendale, nearly lost his

life.

All Vujovich knows is that he took a walk along Balboa Blvd. near his

home in North Hills. While on his walk, Vujovich collapsed and suffered a

heart attack.

But through the help of a few good samaritans, Vujovich’s life was

saved.

“They said two percent walk out of the hospital and one percent are

normal,” Vujovich said of the odds doctors gave him. “I’m glad my family

was around me, because I didn’t know if I’d make it.”

Family members from all around the nation and world, including

Vujovich’s son Branko, who lives in Hong Kong, came to see him.

Vujovich, who was the head coach of the Glendale High football team

from 1952-65 and at Hoover from 1969-74, said he works out regularly, but

usually keeps in shape by using his treadmill in his garage.

But on the morning of March 12, he decided to take a a walk. The plan

was for Vujovich to begin walking along Balboa Blvd. and his wife,

Christina, would pick him up along the way with grandson Christian. They

had planned to go together to Christian’s Little League baseball game in

the Santa Clarita Valley.

But as Christina was driving north on Balboa in Granada Hills, she

began to hear sirens and at one point an ambulance eventually stopped

right in front of her, as she pulled over to the side of the road.

“Immediately, I knew it was Roy,” Christina Vujovich said.

As luck would be on his side, Vujovich said he was lucky he collapsed

where he did, as he did so in front of Bethlehem Lutheran Church on

Balboa Blvd. east of the 118 freeway in Granada Hills, and 3.2 miles

after his walk began.

There, Frank Haider and his wife, Shan, who were walking home from

church saw him collapse.

“They said it looked like he was shot,” Christina Vujovich said.

Frank Haider immediately attempted to perform mouth to mouth

resuscitation while the Shan, ran back toward the church, yelling for

help.

Roy Vujovich said under most circumstances, he wouldn’t have

survived.

“If this would have happened in a garage I would have been dead, or if

this would have been a block up from the church I would have been dead,”

Vujovich said.

Fortunately, Shan Haider came in contact with Bob Teague, a retired

L.A. City Fire Capt. and a Vietnam veteran, who had just left the church

with his family.

Having performed many rescues, Teague ran across Balboa through

on-coming traffic to get to Vujovich.

“After my initial assessment, I started doing compressions,” Teague

said. “Another gentleman was trying to do mouth to mouth, but it wasn’t

what he needed. It seemed like we did CPR on him for fifteen or twenty

minutes.

“His heart was still there, but it couldn’t pump.”

Vujovich, who had quintuple-bypass surgery in 1990, had no pulse and

was in full cardiac arrest.

Teague continued to work on Vujovich until paramedics arrived.

“I said to Christian, I don’t want you to see Pappy, and I said get

down and say a prayer,” Christina Vujovich said.

“When I saw him, he was gone until they hit him with the electronic

paddles.”

Breaking through cartilage, Teague and the paramedics were able to get

Vujovich’s heart started.

He was then transported to Granada Hills Hospital, where he spent a

week in intensive care.

“He was talking by the time they got to the hospital,” Teague said.

“Not very many (rescues) are successful when someone is in full arrest.”

The day after the heart attack, Vujovich even called for Teague to

visit him in the hospital.

Vujovich then went home for a few days before going to UCLA Medical

Center, where he had a dual-mechanism pacemaker and a de-fibrulator

inserted.

Since the heart attack, Vujovich has made a miraculous recovery.

He began driving a month later, and was able to come down the

Hoover-Glendale track meet on his own.

He has also felt good enough to start hanging out with Teague, who he

recently went to dinner with and attended an Easter Sunday church service

with.

Vujovich has plans to go out and watch power-boat racing with Teague,

who owns a power-boat shop in Santa Clarita, and has made many rescues in

power-boat races.

“Two weeks earlier I did a life-saving procedure on a flight from Las

Vegas to Atlanta,” Teague said. “It’s something when you have the skills

of a good Samaritan, it’s required to use them.”

Roy Vujovich said words aren’t enough to thank Bob Teague for what has

done for him, and said he will be a friend forever.

“He’s become like a brother to me,” Roy Vujovich said. “We’ve become

real close. I’ll remember him the rest of my life. I’ve got to be the

luckiest guy in the world.”

ROY VUJOVICH FILE

AGE: 73

WIFE’S NAME: Christina

HOMETOWN: North Hills

FORMER OCCUPATION: Teacher, football coach at Glendale and Hoover

highs

HOBBIES: Watching nine grandchildren play baseball and football.