Nation of Lifesavers Class: Wallis Marsh

His heart attack inspired him to learn CPR. Then he saved his friend’s life.

By Deborah Lynn Blumberg

Wallis Marsh was 56 when what he thought was indigestion proved to be something far more serious.

Three of his four coronary arteries were nearly completely blocked. Lucky to be alive, he was luckier still to avoid open-heart surgery. Doctors were able to restore normal blood flow to his heart by implanting six stents in December 2023.

While Wallis had a heart attack, not a cardiac arrest, he was nonetheless inspired to learn Hands-Only CPR – the way to save the life of someone having a cardiac arrest. And the Houston oil executive wanted his employees to learn it, too. All told, about 100 people were trained by instructors from the American Heart Association.

Five months later, Wallis was in Norman, Oklahoma, to watch his beloved Oklahoma Sooners play football along with a group of friends. They included Jeff Tupper, a former defensive standout for the Sooners who played two seasons in the NFL.

After the game, everyone gathered at a house Wallis owns in Norman. That’s when Jeff collapsed.

Someone called 911.

Wallis saw Jeff’s face turn ashen. His eyes rolled upward, then fluttered shut. Wallis saw that Jeff wasn’t responsive and wasn’t breathing normally.

“You have to do CPR now,” Wallis’ wife, DeeDee told him. So Wallis dropped to the floor and started Hands-Only CPR.

Wallis told himself that he wouldn’t stop performing chest compressions until the ambulance arrived. Because Jeff is much larger than Wallis, Wallis knew he had to press as hard as he could.

“You’re pushing life, you’re pushing life,” he kept telling himself.

A few minutes later, Jeff opened his eyes.

“Wallis, you can stop,” Jeff said. “I’m back.”

Wallis credits his CPR training with giving him the knowledge and confidence he needed – exactly when he needed it.

“If I didn’t know CPR, Jeff could have died right there in my living room,” Wallis said. “I wasn’t afraid, and there wasn’t any hesitation, because the training gives you confidence. If you know CPR, you’re in a position to save your mother, father, sister, brother, neighbor, someone who goes down in the mall. You’ll know immediately how to react.”

Wallis and his identical twin brother, Edward – who later survived his own cardiac arrest while ballroom dancing – want to encourage more people to learn Hands-Only CPR so they, too, can be ready to save a life.

“If you have a heart event, you depend on the people around you,” Wallis said, “and the only way that you survive is if they know CPR.”

Statistics show that immediate CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

“Learn CPR,” he said, “so you can save lives.”