Daughter of two paramedics saved by her teachers
It was a cold, overcast day in November, and the physical education class was well underway at École secondaire de la Concorde in Senneterre, Quebec. Annabelle, 16, was playing “Catch the Tiger’s Tail,” a position game with her friend. Suddenly, they collided face to face.
Annabelle bounced backward, hitting the back of her head, collapsed on the floor, and lost consciousness. Soon after, she began having a seizure, had difficulty breathing, and became unresponsive.
David, the teacher who was present when it happened, was ready to act. Immediately, he told a student to go to the administrative assistant’s office to ask them to call 911 for an ambulance, while another student fetched the AED. Cheryl, another teacher, came to lend a hand, while Kate, a teacher, and Koraly, a recreation technician, took care of the other students.
David and Cheryl worked as a team for every decision taken throughout this intervention. After putting the AED pads on Annabelle, David pressed the shock button. Following the AED’s instructions, he immediately started performing CPR. Meanwhile, Joanie, the pool’s lifeguard, helped teachers with CPR. Véronique, from the management team, offered her support throughout the event. After the second shock, Annabelle regained consciousness and David placed her into the recovery position. Shortly after, the paramedics arrived at the scene and took her to the Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu d’Amos.
Serge and Karine, Annabelle’s parents and owners of the Ambulances Senneterre Inc., are very grateful for the excellent work done during this intervention.
“This is exactly what is needed in a sudden cardiac arrest situation. Fortunately, Annabelle has made a full recovery,” says Serge.
At the Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu d’Amos, Annabelle was examined and eventually transferred to the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (mother and child university hospital) in Montreal. In early December, she underwent successful surgery for the insertion of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and was sent home soon after.
One of the best decisions in my life was to become an instructor for ACT’s High School CPR Program. — David
"And I continue to update my knowledge with them,” says Annabelle’s teacher, David. “Everyone should learn CPR.”
The ACT High School CPR and AED Program aims to see all students empowered to save lives.
David points out that Serge has been very generous over the years.
“He sponsored the AED training units and has been volunteering for several years, along with members of this team. It’s amazing that it was his daughter who needed help and that we were able to save her,” adds David.
“My situation was serious, but I got through it,” says Annabelle. “If anyone is hesitant about learning CPR, I will tell them that they never know what can happen. And if we know what to do, we’re going to do it.”
The ACT Foundation established the High School CPR and AED Program at École secondaire de la Concorde in 2005 so teachers could train students, ensuring all students graduate with lifesaving skills. ACT’s Quebec provincial partner is the Government of Quebec, 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 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. Almost 6 million youth have been trained in CPR by their teachers through this lifesaving program to date.