The intersection of fate and faith: the story of Kevin Rider

On August 21, 2025, Kevin Rider laced up his running shoes and headed out for his daily jog in Overland Park. He deliberately chose busy areas over quiet streets or trails—a decision shaped by a traumatic cardiac arrest he suffered in 2021 while home alone.

“Since then, I’ve always figured if I were to have another cardiac arrest, it’s better to be somewhere people can see you and help,” Rider said.

As he paused at a familiar intersection to catch his breath and wait for the crosswalk signal, his prediction came true.

Without warning, Rider collapsed. His heart had gone into ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib)—a life-threatening arrhythmia. The next thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital bed at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission with broken ribs and a fractured sternum.

“Feeling the pain in my ribs and sternum, I knew someone had performed CPR,” said Rider, who has extensive training in medicine and science. “Whoever it was, they fought hard to keep me alive.”

That someone was Grady Lenihan, an ICU nurse. Lenihan and a friend—also a nurse—were nearby when they came across a group of people surrounding an unresponsive man. They immediately began CPR, taking turns for nearly 10 minutes until EMS arrived.

"My friend and I saw this man laying unresponsive on the sidewalk with some bystanders,” said Lenihan. “We pulled over to help and initiated CPR shortly after. Not knowing how long he was down, I was pessimistic about a favorable outcome; but that didn’t stop us from doing all we can.”

Rider was transported to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission where he underwent a pacemaker procedure in the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU).

Days later, while recovering, Rider experienced a powerful moment. An AdventHealth Shawnee Mission nurse floated to the unit from the ICU and walked into his room. As fate would have it, it was Lenihan—the very person who had helped save his life. Overwhelmed with this coincidence, Rider asked to take a photo with him and expressed heartfelt gratitude. His family, including his seven children, was deeply moved by the reunion.

“It was a surreal and emotional moment seeing Kevin in the hospital conscious, standing up, talking, and meeting his kids. It will be something I will never forget,” said Lenihan. “I think this story is a good example of the importance of knowing CPR and being good citizen, neighbor, and friend in the community."

Recalling his 2021 cardiac arrest when he was alone, Rider said that due to the time it took to get him the help he needed, it left him in a three-week coma, with organ failure and memory loss. Though he recovered, he continued to live with kidney disease, battled onset prostate cancer, and was left with a scar on his heart—believed to have contributed to this second cardiac event.

“I personally know what happens when cardiac arrest goes untreated,” Rider said. “Had Grady and his friend not acted so quickly, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Rider said he felt at peace being at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission. From the nurses to the physicians, he felt the care was exceptional. “You can tell this is a place of faith,” he said.

In that CCU room, two lives intersected again—not at a crosswalk, but in a place where healing and humanity meet. Kevin Rider’s story is one of survival and serendipity. Thanks to the swift actions of a compassionate bystander who knew the importance of CPR and Rider’s own resilience, it’s a story that continues.