POINTE-CLAIRE–Claude Cuillerier recieved a heroes welcome at the Bob Birnie arena in Pointe-Claire, three months after he collapsed on the ice.
“Three months ago I was in shape, I looked good,” said Cuillerier. “Suddenly, in a minute, even a second, I was dead.”
Cuillerier had a heart attack and when he collapsed, his teammates rushed to help.
“There was no pulse, so we started the manoeuvre,” said Romeo Gosselin, one of the players who stepped in.
“I gave him a couple of breaths, to get him going,” added Jean-Louis Bachand.
“Romeo started performing CPR for two minutes and we still weren’t getting a pulse.”
The arena’s defibrillator didn’t work. But these men never gave up on their friend.
“It’s a friend that’s there, so you’re not gonna stop,” said Bachan.
“You’re gonna keep on going until a doctor tells you to stop.”
Finally, firefighters arrived and stepped in.
“The minute they put the defibrillator on him they did it twice, the first time he didn’t come back, but second time he did,” added Bachand.
That exceptional teamwork earned them and the other 13 city workers who contributed, a nod from City Hall.
“We issued this plaque at our council meeting on December the first,” said Mayor Morris Trudeau. “We issued it to the people who helped save Claude’s life.”
Now Cuillerier is back on the ice as a referee to ease his way back into playing.
“Three months…I haven’t put these skates on, so today will be special,” said Cuillerier while lacing up his skates.
“It’s fun to see life gave me another chance.”
Comments