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Red Cross honors Tucson man with highest award for helping to save a man's life

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ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Sept. 8, 2024, Chris Rickenbach almost skipped his soccer game at the Kino Sports Complex South in Tucson because he was feeling sick the day before. But his teammates convinced him to play.

“I think it was just luck and coincidence that I was able to get well enough to go and be there when this happened,” he said.

It was a good thing he did. Shortly after, a 52-year-old man playing soccer fell unconscious.

Rickenbach sprinted to the scene, where a bystander informed him that the man had no detectable pulse, even with an AED in place. Rickenbach took over CPR from the bystander, and after three rounds of chest compressions, the man’s breathing and pulse improved.

Rickenbach used skills he learned in a Red Cross Basic Life Support course in 2022. His first time learning CPR through the American Red Cross was when he was 16.

“As a firefighter and as an airman, it’s just natural for me to run toward that,” Rickenbach said.

He conducted an assessment, took vital signs, and relayed the information to a bystander who was on the phone with 9-1-1.

A Tucson Fire Department medic arrived shortly afterward, and Rickenbach provided a detailed transfer report. He continued to assist with oxygen administration, IV placement, and maintaining spinal alignment while the patient was transferred to a backboard for transport.

His mother, Beatrix Wagner, was there the entire time.

“I know what he does in real life when he’s at work, but I never really got to see his passion,” she said. “I feel like I’m never going to forget watching your baby grow up and become what he always wanted.”

Now, the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross is awarding Rickenbach the Red Cross Certificate of Merit for his role in saving the man’s life. This prestigious honor is the highest individual award given by the Red Cross for acts of humanitarian service that embody its mission.

“It’s incredibly humbling. It’s definitely not an individual award. Even though it might have my name on it, everybody that was there had some sort of hand in it,” Rickenbach said. “So it’s amazing that there is this type of recognition.”

He says anyone can be a hero with the help of CPR training.

“Just getting this training, even if you just sit through it once in your lifetime, just to have the skill, you can save someone’s life with it,” he said.

For more information on American Red Cross training services, click here.

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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.