![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Erin-Mills-STORY.jpg\")
<\/a>Mills<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI initially thought maybe she was hurt from falling, but I saw her skin was already blue and her eyes were open but non-responsive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Feeling for breathing and finding none, Mills immediately turned the woman over and began CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She and another gym employee also used an automated external defibrillator. Her quick actions helped save the woman\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Paramedics arrived and were able to get the woman\u2019s heart restarted before transporting her to a hospital. Mills later learned the woman had suffered a heart attack that led to cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that moment it crossed my mind that if I don\u2019t do anything, she\u2019s going to die,\u201d Mills said. \u201cIt\u2019s very important to get to them as quickly as you can. The paramedics and people in the hospital were telling her that was the biggest factor in her surviving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mills, who is studying exercise science and will graduate next spring, had received ample lifesaving skills training, but she said she was somewhat surprised by her reaction \u2014 particularly how calm she was.<\/p>\n
Her actions that day came as no surprise to Dr. Thomas McLoughlin, an associate professor of exercise physiology and one of Mills\u2019 faculty mentors.<\/p>\n
\u201cInspired? Yes. Proud? Most certainly. But, surprised? Absolutely not,\u201d he said. \u201cErin is one of the most dedicated, capable, kind and intelligent students in the exercise science program. She is the embodiment of the UToledo mission of improving the human condition in the region and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mills, who grew up in Sylvania and chose UToledo for its proximity to home and strong value, had wanted to become a physical therapist since early in high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like how it\u2019s an up-and-coming occupation. I have just loved all things sport and health ever since I was young,\u201d she said. \u201cI grew up in sports. I grew up going to physical therapy myself and I just like the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mills enrolled in the exercise science program, choosing the pre-physical training track. Earlier this year, she took advantage of the early decision option and was accepted into UToledo\u2019s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll begin her doctoral program next summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe University of Toledo has amazing faculty and great facilities. Even during the interview, that was reaffirmed,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are kind and they care about your success. They had a student forum where we were able to talk to students who were in the program right now and that\u2019s what all of them had to say \u2014nothing but good things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mills said her life-saving experience at work helped solidify her career goals of helping people as a physical trainer.<\/p>\n
McLoughlin, who wrote Mills\u2019 letter of recommendation for her entry to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, said he has no doubt about her continued success.<\/p>\n
\u201cErin has touched the lives in her community with her kindness and willingness to help those in need,\u201d he said. \u201cI am excited for her future career pursuit of physical therapy, as she will undoubtedly become an outstanding clinician.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Erin Mills, who graduates next spring, said her life-saving experience helped solidify her career goals of helping people as a physical trainer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":849,"featured_media":75439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,61,1,71,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75437"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/849"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75437"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75469,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75437\/revisions\/75469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>