17-year-old saves his stepmother with CPR
Lindsay, a 41-year-old elementary school teacher from Brampton, Ontario, travelled to New Jersey with her husband Rob, her 17-year-old stepson Maddox, and 9-year-old son Tommy for a hockey tournament. On their way back, they decided to stop in New York City.
During a bike ride in Central Park, Lindsay said she didn’t feel well, got off her bike, and moments later, collapsed. “She was foaming at the mouth and not responsive,” Maddox recalls. At first, the family thought it was a seizure. But when Lindsay began turning blue, they realized it was far more serious.
Maddox, trained in CPR, immediately recognized cardiac arrest and began chest compressions. “I wasn’t really thinking—I just did it,” he says. “The only thought I had was, ‘Is she going to make it?’ It’s different when it’s someone you love. I was also thinking about my little brother—you don’t want a nine-year-old to see that.”
By chance, a doctor and nurse nearby rushed over to help. Paramedics delivered five shocks at the scene and two more on the way to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital. Doctors later said Lindsay had only a 10% chance of survival. Her parents and brother rushed in from Ontario, preparing for the worst.
But Lindsay survived—and thrived with her doctor crediting Maddox’s quick CPR as key in saving her life.
He saved my life, he’s my hero! It’s a miracle I’m here. Our whole family is so grateful to everyone who helped, even though we don’t know who they are. — Lindsay
Now fully recovered, Lindsay has returned to teaching and an active life—walking up to eight kilometres a day with plenty of energy!
And Lindsay shares that the experience has changed her outlook. “It puts life into focus,” she says. "I don't sweat the small things, and family and health is everything to me.”
The ACT Foundation established the ACT High School CPR and AED Program in Upper Grand District School Board in Guelph in 2011 so teachers could train students, ensuring all students graduate with lifesaving skills. ACT’s Ontario provincial partners are Government of Ontario and Hydro One, and ACT’s national health partners are AstraZeneca Canada and Amgen Canada.
The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation is the award-winning, national, charitable organization establishing free CPR and AED training programs in high schools across Canada. ACT raises funds to donate mannequins and teacher training to schools, and guides schools in program set up and long-term sustainability. More than 6 million youth have been trained in CPR by their teachers to date and many are saving lives!