Former MSU assistant basketball coach brings life-saving CPR training to GVSU community

Former Michigan State University assistant basketball coach, Mike Garland was only two weeks into his retirement in 2022 when he experienced cardiac arrest while driving. Two bystanders stepped in to perform CPR, ultimately saving his life. 

Today, he leads Champions of the Heart , an organization he launched after the experience that provides training, CPR manikins and AEDs to communities in need at no charge. 

In partnership with Corewell Health and Grand Valley, Champions of the Heart trained over 150 members of the GVSU community on April 12 in hands-only CPR, equipping them with the skills they would need to intervene in a similar situation.

Garland opened the training by reminding attendees that CPR could happen to any person at any time. 

“I never took a medication a day in my life. I had no health issues,” Garland explained. “I was as strong as I had been in my life. At 68 years old, and our players and staff will tell you this, I would be doing some of the workouts that our players would do.” 

Currently, over 350,000 individuals experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year, with a 1-in-10 survival rate. The training, held in the Kelly Family Sports Center, covered how to recognize cardiac arrest, immediate steps to take, how to perform hands-only CPR and how to utilize an AED if available. 

For many participants and volunteers at the event, their reason for participating is similar to that of Garland. 

Debra Yake, who recently retired from the University of Michigan as a trainer for adult cardiac life support and pediatric life support, volunteered. 

“My grandfather passed away from cardiac arrest in a restaurant in Detroit,” she said, reflecting on the moment that the life-saving reality of CPR became real to her. “Nobody knew what to do. I grew up wondering if someone had known CPR, could he have lived? So I come to this with a heartfelt passion. It’s the minutes before EMS can get there that hands-only CPR can truly save a life.” 

At the April 12 event, Yake trained Bonnie VanKampen, who will be participating in the Fifth Third Bank Riverbank Run this May and is part of their Road Warrior Program. 

“I know of a few instances where there has been a runner who has gone down under cardiac arrest,” VanKampen noted. “There is a medical team there at the race, but they can’t always get to them quickly enough. I think it's a great opportunity for us, as runners of such a big race, to be able to be prepared in an emergency situation like that.” 

Current statistics show that bystanders perform CPR only 40 percent of the time, and use an AED less than 10 percent of the time. When it comes to equipping the GVSU community to step in, D.F. Arnold, associate athletic director for student-athlete engagement and development, says that training is just as much about alleviating fear as it is learning the skills to save a life. 

“I think it's scary, right? It's scary for it to happen to anyone – family member, friend or someone you don't know,” Arnold said. “The more prepared you can be if this ever happens, the better, because I think it'll take some of that nervousness away.”

While Garland had a successful career as a coach, helping coach the Spartans to 19 NCAA Tournaments, 10 Big Ten Championships, six Big Ten Tournament Championships, seven Final Fours and one National Championship, he said that the work he’s doing now with Champions of the Heart is his favorite work yet.

“I had quite a successful basketball coaching career, but it’s nothing compared to what I'm doing now,” he said.

Future training opportunities can be found on the Champions of the Heart website.