‘I did whatever I could to keep her alive’

Hamilton woman helps save a life on Port Dover beach just one day after taking CPR course

Renata Vucicevic will remember Sunday, June 26 for the rest of her life.

That’s the day the 39-year-old central Mountain resident put her CPR skills to the test, just one day after taking a training course through the Canadian Red Cross.

The class was held at F.H. Sherman Recreation Centre and was sponsored by ArcelorMittal Dofasco, where Vucicevic works.

“It ended up being a big day with my family,” she said.

Vucicevic, her husband and three kids, along with other family members, travelled to Port Dover to spend the day at the beach — the spot was chosen by their daughter who makes a “summer bucket list” every year.

At about 8 p.m., while packing the car and getting ready to go home after a long hot day at the beach, Vucicevic heard a man yelling for help asking if anyone knew CPR. A woman had collapsed on the beach.

“I thought, ‘How can it be?’” she said of her first thoughts. “I just dropped everything I was carrying and I ran up to the woman who was already lying down on the shore.

“She had no vital signs and wasn’t breathing so I started CPR … The adrenalin kicked in and I did whatever I could to keep her alive.”

Vucicevic and three helpers worked for “about 10 minutes” before paramedics arrived to take over.

Conscious and responsive, the woman was taken to hospital by ambulance. Vucicevic returned to her family members who watched from nearby.

“My kids were amazed … I definitely think my family is proud,” she said. “It’s an amazing skill to have”

Sioban Kennedy, a senior volunteer with Canadian Red Cross, said prior to widespread automated external defibrillator (AED) and “bystander” CPR training, survival would be typically two per cent in these situations.

“Survival rates have been trending upwards over the last 10 years as a result of advanced technology and accessibility of both AED machines and the willingness of trained bystanders to use their skills,” she said.

In many cases, Kennedy said there can often be “mental barriers” that prevent a bystander from rushing to a victim’s aid.

“Kudos to this woman who trained but then used her skills,” she said. “It’s really important to know that doing CPR and AED can’t make the situation worse, it makes it better when used appropriately.”

OPP said the woman who was helped was a 23-year-old from Hamilton. The Simcoe Reformer reported the next day that woman had been released from hospital.