Victims of heart attack urges others to get CPR training. Three hockey players who went into cardiac arrest while at the arena stated that CPR saved their lives.
Ken Carrusca, Rob Macdonald and Jamie Maclaren are all recreational league hockey players who keep themselves in good shape. They are also heart attack survivors.
Carrusca, 50-years old collapsed on the ice while he was player hockey at Burnaby 8-Rinks. A defibrillator was used to restart his heart. It turned out that he had 4 blockages and ended up having a cardiac bypass surgery.
Macdonald, 49-years old passed out in the dressing room at Pitt Meadows Arena after a game. Luckily, somebody on the other team was a paramedic. He was given over 12 minutes of CPR and 4 shocks from an AED.
Maclaren, 43-years old was not feeling well after finishing a game at 8-Rinks. He did not have any vital signs for 6-7 minutes as his teammates performed CPR and used a defibrillator.
Enroll in CPR training
Carrusca, Macdonald and Maclaren are heart attack survivors who share their stores to encourage others to get CPR training.
If there was nobody around with medical training when they went into cardiac arrest, they did not survive the ordeal.
According to Royal Columbian Hospital’s interventional cardiologist, Dr. Gerald Simkus, countless lives could be saved if more people know how to use defibrillators. Most victims of heart attack die before they reach a healthcare facility.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid and CPR class and for more information, check out these sources: