‘The Sound of Music’ Star Honors Those Who Saved His Life
“I was sitting there and all of the sudden, I felt kind of dizzy… and that was it.”
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — The halls were alive with the sound of music at the 10th annual Cabarrus County Heroes & Hearts event Thursday night.
But for Daniel Truhitte and Pam Petrea, tonight’s performance pulled a little tighter on our heartstrings.
“I owe a lot to [Pam],” Truhitte told us. “And I owe a lot to all these people.”
If Truhitte’s name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he starred as Rolf in the classic 1965 film, The Sound of Music. But the soon-to-be octogenarian almost had his life cut short at a funeral last year.
“I was sitting there and all of the sudden, I felt kind of dizzy… and that was it.”
Truhitte went into cardiac arrest in the middle of the service. That’s when Petrea, the service’s pianist and former cardiac nurse, jumped into action.
“I just feel like I was someone that was in the right place at the right time,” says Petrea.
Petrea then performed CPR for over five minutes until EMS arrived, saving Truhitte’s life. Thursday night, the pair reunited to honor first responders and heart attack survivors alike.
“I owe a lot to her, and I owe a lot to all these people,” says Truhitte.
Petrea insists she isn’t a hero. She’s just glad she was there to help Truhitte.
“What a life. I’m telling you, he is a blessing. I said, ‘his smile.’ I said, ‘Oh God, just thank you that I had been able to see his smile.’”
As for Truhitte, he plans to keep climbing every mountain that life throws at him.
“I’m looking forward to that time when I will be in Heaven. I went up there and they said, ‘Well, you need more time down on Earth.’”
Cabarrus County holds first-aid and CPR seminars on-demand. Learn more here.
