Roadside CPR Near Calgary Leads to an Incredible Reunion
When nurse Larissa Arthur spotted what looked like a lifeless body in a ditch along Springbank Road just outside Calgary, she didn’t hesitate. Her fast response, CPR skills, and steady composure helped save the life of cyclist Mike Estepa—a man she had never met before.
Their story captured national attention and was first reported by CBC News.
Read the original article here:
👉 Nurse and the man she saved reunite after ‘incredible’ roadside rescue near Calgary
A Sudden Discovery on a Late-August Afternoon
Larissa was driving home from a hike with a friend—hike number 51 of the 100 hikes she committed to completing in memory of her late father, who passed away on a mountain scramble in 2017.
As they approached a bend near Springbank, Larissa noticed a man lying motionless in the ditch beside a bicycle. He was wearing bright yellow cycling gear, and nothing about the scene looked right.
“I just assumed he was hit by a car,” she later recalled.
Acting on instinct and her nursing background, she jumped out of her vehicle, checked his pulse, then checked for breathing.
There was neither.
No Pulse. No Breathing. No Time to Lose.
Larissa immediately began chest compressions and CPR, determined to give the stranger his best chance at survival.
Within two minutes, another nurse and a first responder happened to arrive on scene. Together, the three continued compressions, working in rotation as they waited for emergency services to arrive.
Fifteen minutes later, EMS reached the site. Paramedics delivered two shocks in an effort to revive the cyclist before transporting him to hospital.
Despite everyone’s efforts, there were still no signs of life when he was loaded into the ambulance.
Larissa remembers thinking:
“I didn’t think he was going to make it.”
A Message From the Last Person She Expected
Days later, Larissa received a message on social media—from the very man she performed CPR on.
His name was Mike Estepa, an active cyclist who had been on a 60-kilometre ride when he went into sudden cardiac arrest. Moments before collapsing, he texted his family to let them know he’d be home in 30 minutes.
His next memory was waking up two days later in the hospital.
When Mike and Larissa met in person for the first time after the rescue, the emotions were overwhelming.
“The second I saw him and he saw me we just started crying,”
— Larissa Arthur
She described how surreal it was to see him alive and smiling when the last image she had of him was motionless, “with ants crawling all over him.”
For Mike, the gratitude is immeasurable:
“Without Larissa, I wouldn’t be here talking.”
A Rescue That Meant Even More Than Saving a Life
For Larissa, this rescue touched something deeply personal.
Since losing her father in 2017, her hiking challenge has been a way to honor him. Saving someone else felt profound.
“It meant more to me because I couldn’t save my dad’s life,” she said.
“But it was the first time I felt I actually helped save someone’s life.”
She emphasizes that she wasn’t alone—others on scene also had medical training. But this moment marked the first time in her nursing career she had performed CPR on someone in a real-life emergency.
To see that person alive, talking, and even joking?
“It’s just pretty incredible.”
Why CPR Training Matters
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, to anyone, at any time—even to active, healthy individuals like Mike.
Fast, effective CPR delivered by a bystander can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
This story shows the difference that just one trained responder can make.
Emergencies happen without warning.
Larissa didn’t expect to use her CPR training that day—but she was ready when someone needed her most.
You can be ready too.
Additional CPR Learning Resources
Serving Calgary and the surrounding areas the lowest priced, highest quality OH&S approved first aid training, CPR and food safety courses for over 15 years!
Support locally-owned and Canadian-operated businesses, with no partnerships or links with American corporations.