RIO - Jan Olsen was full of emotion Thursday as he opened the door to Lynn Bubolz's home in the village.

Waiting to see him on the other side of the front door were seven people who helped save his life just 10 days before. It was Olsen's first encounter with a majority of them, despite living in Rio for almost 18 years.

As Olsen hugged and thanked each one, he was at a loss for words.

"What do you say to someone who has saved your life?," Olsen, a native of Norway, said.

Olsen and his wife, Jean, tried to hold back tears as each individual took a turn describing and explaining their role in responding to Olsen's sudden heart attack May 4 at the Rio High School track.

On the morning of May 4, Olsen was in the middle of his daily exercise routine. Each day Olsen, 52, runs for one and a half hours around the high school track and the adjacent cross country and grass paths. His daily eight-mile run usually wraps up around 10 a.m. However, on this morning, Olsen said he was having trouble finishing his final lap. He struggles to remember exactly what happened next.

"Jan came around the corner right by the finish line, rounded around the goal post and collapsed," said Amy Parish, Rio Elementary School principal.

There is usually no one at the track between 8 and 10 a.m., but on this day the elementary school was holding its annual track and field day, so many parents and school staff were watching or helping out with the event.

Eileen Brandenburg, physical education teacher, also saw Olsen collapse and immediately shouted for an emergency medical technician.

Numerous other people also responded, some calling 911, some running to grab the automated external defibrillator, some tending to Olsen, and the rest helping out in any way they could.

It was the swift action of about 20 individuals that saved Olsen's life.

"It's just a fluke that we were there," Melisa Arndt said. "Otherwise, the track coach would have found him dead at 3 p.m. before track practice. There was definitely some divine intervention that day."

Arndt, a former EMT, said she felt Olsen for a pulse. Finding none, she immediately started to administer CPR. Nicole Scott, a Rio EMT, also helped with the compressions.

Looking back, Olsen said the experience was "very peaceful."

"There was no concern for my body," he said. "It wasn't in the picture."

A few minutes later, Lisa Hagenow arrived on scene with the school's AED. While these individuals were helping Olsen, Lynn Bubolz, elementary teacher, ran down the street to get Jean.

By this time, Jean had seen the ambulance pass her house and she "knew it was Jan."

"The minute I heard the sirens, I knew it was Jan and I started getting dressed," Jean said. "By this time cars were stopping by the house and yelling, ‘Come quick.' "

Within six minutes from Olsen collapsing, the Rio ambulance crew arrived. Arndt said Olsen was breathing and had a pulse by the time the ambulance arrived.

Olsen was transported to Divine Savior Healthcare in Portage, where he was taken by helicopter to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison. Scott rode with Olsen in the ambulance to Portage, providing compressions for the entire 16-mile trip.

According to Olsen, this is his first bout with heart problems. He started experiencing chest pains last fall, but thought nothing of it.

"His doctor was shocked that someone who eats healthy and exercises regularly would have heart problems," Jean said. "Fifty-two is way too young to be dealing with this."

Olsen spent two full days in Madison. Doctors inserted two stents in his heart. Doctors said two of Olsen's arteries were 95 percent clogged. He also swallowed part of one of his front teeth. He and Jean returned home the afternoon of May 6.

For a few days after returning home, Olsen said he felt nauseated and had some sore ribs and shortness of breath, but that was it.

"Now I'm mowing the lawn," Olsen said. "I'm feeling pretty good now."

Jan and Jean have extreme gratitude for the Rio community.

"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here," Jan said. "Thanks to you guys, I won the race."

Jean said they are still getting well wishes from the community.

"We're just overwhelmed with gratitude for the community," she said. "Everyone pitched in to help, and we don't even know where to begin with thanking people. There is so much I want to say, but I just don't know the words to say it."

Mark Watters, owner of Mark's Market in Rio, offered to help the Olsens in any way he could.

"Jan is a nice guy, a good egg, and he deserves another chance at living," Watters said.

When praised for her actions, Arndt was quick to mention the names of all the other individuals who also provided assistance.

"It was an effort by the community, not all me," she said. "It was a very uplifting moment for the community."

Parish agreed.

"It was a great day in so many ways for our community, but it was a greater day when we knew you were all right," she said. "This is a perfect example of why we're the Rio Community School District."

Jan will undergo cardiac rehabilitation for the next 90 days. After that, he plans to put back on his jogging suit and continue his daily runs at the high school.

"Running is fantastic therapy for my mental health," Jan said. "I go for a run and come back refreshed, renewed."

Jan and Jean have been married for about 17 years. Jan has a son, Christian, who is studying to be a physician in Norway. The couple owns and operates an international collectable teddy bear business within their home.

kkirkpatrick@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3509