Realtor Helps Rescue Elderly Man After Stroke By Jonathan Van Dyke Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 4:20 pm Joyce Garvey's father, John, had a ritual of reading the Los Angeles Times each morning with breakfast — so as the papers piled up in front of his Belmont Shore house at the beginning of November, there was some concern from Scott Butzbach. Butzbach, the Garvey's real estate agent from Colwell Banker Coastal Alliance, had been asked by John to take a look into his property. "He was just kind of curious what his home was worth in today's market," Butzbach said. "I said I'd be happy to do that and drop a report by." Garvey said she called her father on Friday, Oct. 28, and didn't think too much of it when he didn't answer. Calls that Sunday and Monday also were unanswered, though. Butzbach, on the other hand, had finished the report that Tuesday, Nov. 2, and decided after having no luck calling John — and he was in the neighborhood — to stop by and drop it off. "I knocked on the door but thought it was kind of strange that there were about four days of newspapers stacked on the porch," he said. "Things weren't adding up and we couldn't get ahold of his other daughter who lives close by." After talking with Garvey, who lives in Northern California, the two decided to contact the Long Beach Police Department — with officers arriving at about 5 p.m. Officers surveyed the scene and based on the information they received, decided to knock down the door for entry, said Nancy Pratt, LBPD public information officer. Garvey said officers were able to see part of her father's leg from a window into the home's family room. "I was actually on the phone listening to them kick down the front door," she said, noting that police found her father on the ground and that he mumbled something they couldn't understand. Paramedics were called to the scene and John was taken to St. Mary Medical Center. He was diagnosed with a heart attack, a very strong stroke that affected about a quarter of his brain and pneumonia, Garvey said. According to the papers left out, John was on the ground for about four days before Butzbach and police found him. "I'm just thankful he was found in time," Butzbach said. For that, Garvey said, she and her family are grateful, as they have spent some time with their loved one. This week, she said, John made the choice to no longer fight the pneumonia, which was difficult to battle alongside the heart attack and stroke. John is 86 years old. "Scott was extremely helpful and always very kind," she said, also noting that at least one nearby neighbor had reached out, too. "He was a hero here and basically saved my dad's life. He's a really professional and caring person and I would recommend him as a business person and as a concerned person who really cares." Both the family and Butzbach said this incident is something that people can learn from. "This can happen to any of us, and if it were to happen to me, it's probably a good idea that my neighbors know who to contact if something were to happen to me," he said, noting it was probably a good idea for everybody to get to know their neighbors better. The LBPD recommends that neighbors and residents always report suspicious behavior, Pratt said, for just such an instance like this. The LBPD recommends neighbors exchange phone numbers and always notify each other if they are going out of town — so that papers won't stack up unless there is an emergency situation to be reported.
Greg
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GREG BENDER Realtor
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