Janie Stoutenburg of Barrington can’t erase the memories of that day in 1987 when her life nearly came to an end.
Stoutenburg was severely injured when her car was hit by a drunken driver. The physical toll included three ruptured discs and nerve damage to her legs and back. As a result of the accident, she also suffers from severe asthma and chronic heart problems.
Numerous reconstructive treatments have followed, but back problems linger. “Sometimes, the pain is excruciating. . . . It’s difficult to get out of bed,” Stoutenburg said.
Yet she bears few emotional scars from her accident. Rather, Stoutenburg’s life continues to be filled with family activities involving husband Noel and daughter Karen, 10, and her extensive volunteer work, as a CPR and first-aid trainer, volunteer emergency medical technician, fundraiser for the financially strapped Robbins Fire Department, Brownie leader, cheerleading team mom, soccer team mom, PTO board member, school room mother and chairwoman of the school book fair at Lines Elementary School in Barrington.
In fact, said Stoutenburg, it’s the volunteer work that has helped in her recovery.
“Volunteering gives me something to live for and something to look forward to,” said Stoutenburg, who estimates she clocks 30 hours a week in volunteer work. “Even though I love my husband and daughter, life could get pretty bleak without my (volunteer) work.”
Since her accident, Stoutenburg’s community efforts have won her many service awards, including one from the Chicago Volunteer Bureau and one as the 1990 Illinois EMT of the Year. She is also listed in “Who’s Who of Women in the Midwest” for her volunteer efforts.
Her post-accident pace would tax most people. But Stoutenburg has found ways to fight through her disabilities and physical pain.
“If I’m in a lot of pain, I have a back-up system of helpers to substitute,” she said. “I also know how to slow down several days before a class so I’m not controlled by the pain.”
Her husband admires her efforts. “The accident has changed what she does, but she’s fortunate that she still can find ways to help people,” Noel Stoutenburg said. “It takes more time and energy, but she still does it.”
Finding and helping needy causes seems to come easy to Stoutenburg. Learning of the financial plight of the Robbins Fire Department while working with the wife of a former Robbins firefighter, Stoutenburg became a volunteer firefighter and paramedic for the south suburban village prior to her accident and still serves as fundraiser. According to Michael Bear, a Robbins Fire Department co-worker and fellow CPR/first-aid instructor, the department was in bad shape when Stoutenburg first became involved in the mid-1980s.
“The department was running 1965 fire engines, and all of our equipment (was) falling apart,” said Bear, who met Stoutenburg after her automobile accident.
“The (Robbins volunteer firefighters) hadn’t been paid for several months and were risking their lives for free with lousy equipment,” explained Stoutenburg. “I don’t think people should die because they’re poor. It bugs me.”
According to Robbins Fire Department Chief Charles Lloyd, Stoutenburg is a fundraising whirlwind, having “gotten us equipment like ladders, power saws, medical equipment, (educational) videos and mannequins (for CPR practice and demonstrations).” She does so by getting the word out to local fire departments, businesses and medical organizations, which then in turn donate the equipment to the Robbins department.
Lloyd estimates that Stoutenburg’s fundraising efforts may be responsible for thousands of dollars worth of critical firefighting and rescue equipment and supplies. “It’s hard to put a dollar value on some of these items . . . but the heavy-duty rescue truck we received was donated for $1 and is worth (about) $15,000,” he noted.
According to Bear, Stoutenburg’s own rescue after the automobile accident was a payback for all the work she has done for others.
“When we were on calls together, Janie would make (accident victims) as comfortable as possible,” he said. “She sticks by your side.”
Stoutenburg, who worked as a registered nurse before the accident, has continued her 20-year involvement as the main instructor teaching CPR and first aid for the Barrington Park District. More than 650 people have been trained and more than 25 lives saved as a direct result of that program, according to class records. In addition, she purchased all the mannequins and supplies for the class herself.
“She’s an excellent teacher. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give her a 10 plus. Students are always saying they learn a lot,” said Ardie Mehlman, a park district security officer who works closely with Stoutenburg.
Stoutenburg also teaches first aid and CPR to the staff at an area day-care center and to local chapters of the Boy and Girl Scouts. She acts as a volunteer nurse, too.
Then there’s the community committee work: She serves on the Village of Barrington Americans with Disabilities Act committee for upgrading services and access for the disabled, and the Barrington American Red Cross First Aid Committee.
Stoutenburg’s work training people in CPR and first aid is vital, according to American Red Cross spokesperson Carina Bates.
“Her efforts are meaningful to the Red Cross because (she’s) out there educating the public about the steps they need to take to make themselves and their families safe from any kind of emergency,” Bates said. “When people respond to emergencies, they often assist someone they know . . . and it’s important that these people know these skills.”
And it’s just such people Stoutenburg reaches. She particularly likes teaching the young, giving courses in first aid, CPR and safe baby-sitting tactics. “They’re like little sponges; they love it,” she said.
Her message is simple: Keep calm and use common sense. “If you can stay calm, you do the correct thing,” she said. “CPR is more of a learned skill. I try to explain why people need to learn these things. Having worked as a paramedic, I’ve seen the difference first aid can have on someone when the paramedics get there. First aid can save a life.”
After years of teaching, Stoutenburg said she gets calls about once a month from ex-pupils who have saved someone’s life as a result of their training.
