Prompt intervention with life-saving measures can make a difference. The outcome of an emergency situation will be a positive one especially when Good Samaritans are around. When his heart ceases to beat, he collapsed at a round dance at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre but brought back to life by strangers.
Tim Yee, manager of the anti-homelessness program at the downtown community centre, and Danielle Borix, a caseworker in the program were volunteering at the yearly feast and round dance honoring youth. When an unexpected event occurred where they have the chance to save a life, they did not hesitate to take action.
Unforeseen incident
At around 11:30 PM, they were called to help and took over from at least 2 people who were participating in the dance and who first stepped in when an unidentified 65-year old man collapsed to the floor.
The first two had already determined that the man had no heartbeat. One was already delivering chest compressions when Yee came into the gymnasium from the outer lounge and another person was calling for emergency assistance.
According to Borix, there were around 250 people at the event and the man’s daughter was crying and desperate for someone to help him. She remembers feeling unusually calm as she knelt beside the man and started mouth-to-mouth breathing while Yee performed the chest compressions.
An unidentified woman brought the automated external defibrillator (AED) to the scene. Yee immediately applied the adhesive pads to the chest of the man. As the device monitored the heart of the man, it prompted “shock recommended”. The group followed the instructions and performed another round of CPR.
Without delay
Yee and Borix performed CPR for 6-8 minutes. In a short while, police, firefighters, and paramedics arrived and transported the man to the hospital.
The data from the AED revealed that the man had a cardiac arrest and did not have a heartbeat. Generally, he died for 2 minutes. Borix was grateful she had training and encourages others to undergo first aid and CPR training.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to be ready for emergencies by enrolling in our courses on CPR and AED. Our courses maintain social distancing measures with reduced class sizes to maintain the minimum 2 meters apart along with the mandatory use of face masks and regular temperature checks. The venue of the courses undergoes regular, enhanced cleaning, and disinfection routines.
For more information, check out these sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_external_defibrillator
https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-a-Defibrillator.aspx