Student steps in to help a stranger

One morning in May, Michael was on his way to school on his motorbike when he got a flat tire. He decided to get off the road at the next exit, the Saint-Jérome train station and call his grand-mother for help.

“While I was waiting for my grand-mother I noticed a woman laying on a bench in front of the station,” recalls Michael. “She looked asleep.”

Michael walked towards the woman to assess the situation. “I noticed she wasn’t moving so I decided to check her vital signs,” says the young man.

Realizing the woman was unconscious and breathing weakly, he dialled 911 and stayed by her side until the paramedics arrived. “The paramedics told me that my call saved the woman’s life,” says Michael.

The student received CPR training as part of his high school education. “I’m glad that I was trained in CPR because it was so useful to me,” he says.
Michael’s teacher, David Kirk agrees with him. “One of the objectives of the training is to give students the confidence to act. Calling 911 and ensuring safety can save a life. As we repeat it: I’ve been trained, I can do this.”

The ACT High School CPR Program was set up in Cap-Jeunesse School thanks to the support provided by the Government of Quebec and ACT’s health partners, AstraZeneca Canada, Sanofi Canada, and Amgen Canada.

The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation is an award-winning, national charitable organization dedicated to 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. Over 3.6 million youth have been trained in CPR by their teachers through this lifesaving program to date.