Comment on Seen: Lifesaving tales at the Red Cross Heroes Soiree

On March 3, 2018, 72-year-old Dan Smoker was climbing on Castle Rock with his teenage grandson, Eli, when he slipped and tumbled downhill, sustaining life-threatening injuries. He had a broken neck, nine broken ribs and a fractured pelvis and femur. That story could have had a much different ending had it not been for two groups of hikers who rushed to his aid, stabilizing his neck and starting chest compressions when Smoker stopped breathing. The heroic efforts of Christian, Dylan and Max McCaffrey — sons of Lisa and former Denver Bronco Ed McCaffrey — along with their buddy Michael Mann and Tifany and Chris Borgelt, brought 700 people to their feet on March 8 when the American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming presented them with the Adult Livesaver Award at the 2019 Heroes Soiree. Smoker joined them on stage to add his personal thanks for being “the perfect strangers that helped save my life.” The Heroes Soiree, held at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, is the Red Cross affiliate’s largest fundraising event and was chaired by Jill and Christian Anschutz, Deirdre Wildman and Rick Steiner and Lisa and Norm Franke. Christian Anschutz is the managing director of the Western Development Group; Wildman is a principal with Chrysalis Hospitality; Steiner is executive vice president at AirComm; and Norm Franke is Alpine Bank’s regional president. Other honorees were Douglas County Sheriffs Deputy Thomas Vondra (Sound the Alarm Award); postal carrier Amy Bezerra (Celebrating Community Award); Karen Townsend (Services to the Armed Forces Award); and Juliette Moore, who received the Youth Lifesaver Award for resuscitating her boyfriend after his heart stopped after being struck by lightning while they were on a camping trip near Nederland. “I was scared out of my mind when I had to do it,” she recalled, adding that she is now a nursing student who has so much gratitude for the first responders and medical personnel who “do this on a daily basis.” Net proceeds are still being tallied, but Wildman noted that she expects the amount to equal or exceed last year’s Hero’s Soiree when enough money was raised to enable the Red Cross to buy the emergency response vehicle that was on display outside the museum. So far, though, it is looking good as the special appeal alone brought in $151,000, thanks to the skills of auctioneer Reggie Rivers and a $50,000 challenge from the Anschutz family. Related Articles Seen: Actress Vanessa Williams graces Saturday Night Alive SEEN: Sharon Martin takes her turn as Fine Arts Foundation’s 2019 Citizen of the Arts Seen: A night at the circus for Beaux Arts Ball Seen: Kaleidoscope for the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation SEEN: Colorado Ballet Gala at the Ellie nets $460,000 Gino Greco, the chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Colorado & Wyoming, joined board chair Tisha Schuller in welcoming such VIP guests as Lt.