OAK CREEK, Wis. — The call came five years ago, but Connie Schneider remembers it like it was yesterday.
"We got a call here that said David is taking a Flight for Life to the hospital," she recounted.
David, her nephew, had suddenly collapsed playing baseball at 17 years old. He suffered cardiac arrest. Luckily, his coach knew CPR.
"The coach right away recognized what was happening, started CPR and saved his life," Schneider said about that day in 2018.
However, she knew if the time or day had been different, the result also could have been different.
"If it happened 24 hours before, if David's heart stopped when he was with me, he wouldn't have been with us today," she said.
So she took a class and became CPR certified. She's now a certified CPR trainer and since her nephew's cardiac arrest, has been a part of getting 2,200 people trained.
"I didn't think it was important for me to know because I thought I'll just call 911 and they'll take care of it. But what people don't realize is that the time from when we're waiting with that person until the ambulance gets there, those minutes are so crucial that they could really save a life," Schneider said.
According to the American Heart Association, performing CPR immediately after someone suffers cardiac arrest can double or triple the chances of survival.
"What are you going to do for that time when you call 911 and you're waiting with that person that's not responding? Those minutes, know what to do and be prepared instead of sitting wishing I wish I would've known what to do," Schneider said.
For information about CPR training, you can visit the American Heart Association website.
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