November 17th, 2012 started like any other Saturday for both Julia Koudalka and Victor McGinn. They had each stopped by a bingo hall in Moose Jaw to enjoy an evening out, but very quickly, their lives came into direct contact.
“We were playing half an hour, maybe a little more,” Koudalka said. “Looked up and I saw Victor turn blue. He coded.”
McGinn does not remember what happened next, but his wife saw it all unfold.
“(She) told me I pushed away from the table, and I slid down in the seat, gasped for breath,” he recounted. “They laid me on the floor, and that was it. I died right there, I guess.”
If it wasn’t for Koudalka, a nurse, that might have been how the story ended. But she wouldn’t let that happen – she immediately began CPR.
“I knew I had to do something,” she said. “I couldn’t not do anything. Do what you can while you can, right?”
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Paramedic Mike Slater was called to the scene. He says the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest is rare – only five per cent. Any help he can get before arriving can be the difference between life and death.
“The single most effective thing that led to the survival of Mr. McGinn was the early recognition and the early CPR,” Slater said.
If you don’t know CPR, however, trying it can create more problems.
“If people don’t feel they can start CPR, phone 911,” Slater explained.
In the process, Koudalka broke several of his ribs, but McGinn says it was worth it because CPR helped save his life.
“It kept me alive,” he said. “And without her there, I could’ve been dead today.”
Koudalka says she was in the right place at the right time and is happy she could help.
“It happened before Christmas, so he got another Christmas with his family, right?” she said.
On Friday the McGinn and Koudalka met for the first time since the incident. They both hope their story will inspire others to learn CPR, too. Especially since February is Heart Month.
“There’s nothing fancy about it,” said Koudalka. “You can do it with your own two hands. You can do it anywhere, and change a life.”
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