by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with current pediatric CPR guidance. Sometimes the person who knows CPR happens to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. That is the lesson behind this older In-Pulse CPR story about Loraine Gray, a passerby who reportedly stopped to help when a 22-month-old girl became […]
by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with verified details and current CPR guidance. You are never too young to learn CPR. In May 2009, 15-year-old Sara Broski proved that in a very real way when a woman suddenly collapsed aboard a BART train in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sara had completed CPR training only […]
by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with current CPR and AED guidance. A normal dinner out turned into a life-or-death emergency in Cayucos, California, when a 74-year-old man suddenly collapsed on a sidewalk. Nearby bystanders rushed to help. Then law enforcement arrived with an automated external defibrillator, or AED. The combination of bystander CPR and early AED use […]
by Pearl SalkinUpdated September 2026 with current CPR and post-cardiac-arrest information. A normal workday at a West Palm Beach, Florida car dealership nearly became Charles Morgan’s last. On December 8, 2010, Morgan, a 52-year-old car salesman, stepped outside Schumacher Volkswagen for what he thought would be an ordinary cigarette break. Instead, he collapsed face-first in the grass. […]
by Benjamin RousseyUpdated October 2026 with current CPR and trauma-response guidance. Some emergencies happen so quickly that nobody has time to prepare. That was the idea behind this older In-Pulse CPR story about a father named Joe Fernando, his daughter Emily, and a sudden emergency at an amusement park. The original article described Joe as a librarian […]
by Pearl SalkinWritten by Pearl SalkinUpdated September 2026 with current beach-safety and First Aid guidance. A day at the beach should be relaxing. But beaches also come with hazards that can turn a fun afternoon into an emergency very quickly. A little preparation, attention to the weather, and basic beach safety and First Aid knowledge can make […]
by Pearl SalkinWritten by Pearl SalkinUpdated September 2026 with additional firsthand details from Tyler Byall’s mother and current CPR information. Some cardiac arrest survivors spend the rest of their lives wondering why they were given a second chance. For Tyler Byall of Fort Wayne, Indiana, part of that answer may have come almost exactly one year later. […]
by Tom SirmonsUpdated September 2026 with current CPR and AED guidance. The emergency call to Marin County, California, sounded routine: “Bicyclist down.” Firefighters and paramedics respond to plenty of calls involving cyclists, many of them relatively minor. This one was different. When emergency responders arrived, they found a cyclist in cardiac arrest and a nearby person already […]
by Benjamin RousseyUpdated September 2026 to reflect current CPR, AED, and trauma-response guidance. A serious car crash can become a medical emergency in seconds. For Robert Hill, what began as a routine drive home with his two children turned into a life-or-death rescue when another driver crashed into a minivan at an intersection. The crash was violent […]
by Pearl SalkinWritten by Pearl SalkinUpdated September 2026 to reflect current CPR and post-cardiac-arrest guidance. Walking to work is usually considered one of the healthier ways to start the day. For 58-year-old Minneapolis resident Michael McKee, however, cardiac arrest while walking to work nearly ended his life in 2008. McKee was on his usual four-mile route along […]
by David GerharttUpdated September 2026 to reflect current CPR guidance. Imagine walking through a busy shopping mall when you notice a crowd gathering. In the middle of the group is an older man lying motionless on the floor. Someone says that moments earlier he had been sweating heavily and complaining of chest discomfort before suddenly collapsing. Most […]
by Pearl SalkinWritten by Pearl SalkinUpdated September 2026 with details from Bill Kushubar’s survivor account and current CPR guidance. A round of golf is supposed to be an escape. For Bill Kushubar of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, one round in 2009 became a fight for survival. Bill was 54 years old and playing with friends when he reached the […]
by Pearl SalkinWritten by Pearl SalkinUpdated September 2026 with current CPR information. Sometimes CPR training becomes important when you least expect it. On July 3, 2006, families gathered at Silver Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan, to watch Fourth of July fireworks. Among them was 10-year-old Lyndsay Prager, who was visiting southwest Michigan with her grandparents. Nearby was […]
by Benjamin RousseyUpdated September 2026 with current CPR and emergency-response information. Teenagers sometimes believe they are invincible. That confidence, mixed with alcohol and poor judgment, can turn a fun night into a life-threatening emergency in just a few seconds. Imagine three recent high school graduates celebrating together at a friend’s house. With no adults home, and after […]
by Mollie BowmanCardiac arrest is often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF).