In a remarkable case of “being in the right place at the right time”, a CPR instructor saved the life of a woman who suffered a cardiac arrest as the instructor was conducting a training session at Saint John the Baptist Church in the Town of Tonawanda, New York, Thursday night.
During the training course, instructor Karen Mayfield went from teaching CPR to administering it, and saving a woman’s life in the process, local station WIVB reports.
“It was wild, and it just, to me, is just a great example of why we take these classes,” said assemblyman Bill Conrad, who was attending the class.
Conrad said he noticed a man come to the class, watch part of it, and then leave. About 20 minutes later, the man returned, according to Conrad.
The man said his neighbor was unresponsive, and he was hoping to find someone who knew how to perform CPR. That’s when Karen Mayfield ran out of the room and over to an apartment building next door.
“Someone made sure 911 was called, one of the parents was making sure of that,” said Conrad, according to WIVB. “I kinda jolted over there to help, and then was in the apartment watching the compressions, holding the door open for the paramedics. It was crazy.”
Conrad added that earlier, Mayfield said she’d never needed to perform CPR on “an actual person before.” But she was more than capable, he observed.
“It prepared her and she did a fantastic job and saved that woman’s life. She’s alive today,” Conrad said before adding: “She’s a hero to me.”
Mayfield said she is a little shaken from the whole experience, but stressed the importance of CPR training.
“I hope this story can serve as yet another reminder of how invaluable a familiarity with CPR can be, and that it inspires others to pursue the training,” Mayfield told the station. “I commend the efficiency and expertise of the town paramedics and police, who every day on the job endure the stress of critical events and emergencies.”
