How radio listeners saved a life

CPR Saves Lives ABC 702 Breakfast Show’s Adam Spencer invited Ambulance on to the program to talk about cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after an article appeared in a newspaper saying that bystanders don’t know what to do.

Penelope Little from Public Affairs and Clare Pemberton from Clinical Development went on the show to alleviate many of the myths about CPR and spoke about the importance of recognising an emergency and calling Triple Zero (000) early to get paramedics to the scene. Adam Spencer was taught how to do CPR and keeping the message very simple of 30 compressions to 2 breaths.

ABC listeners were given a tip about using the rhythm of the Bee Gees Song “Staying Alive” to the beat of the compressions.

Penelope and Clare answered an array of questions from caller’s particularly concerning litigation after helping a bystander, whether or not to check for a pulse and reassuring listeners that it’s okay to rotate between performing CPR if you get tired.

Now for the twist! Two couples were listening to the program while in a taxi. In the next few hours what they heard on radio was put to the test.

Following is an extract from an email sent to ABC Radio.

Last Friday, my sister and our husbands were on the way to Sydney Airport in a taxi heading to New Zealand (NZ) for a long overdue holiday. We were listening to your show with the Ambulance ladies talking about CPR and it sparked a conversation amongst us for some hours after about what we would do.

I can hardly believe that I’m typing this but hours after landing in NZ, my sister, Molly, felt unwell. She clutched her chest and said she was going to vomit. We tried to move her to a chair on the side of the road but she collapsed on the footpath. She turned white and white stuff starting coming out of her mouth.

I looked at my husband and brother-in-law in disbelief. I screamed for some help and began assisting my sister. She was unconscious and wasn't breathing. I began CPR. I used the Bee Gees song beat and I soon got tired as you said. So I took turns with both Peter and Daniel.

I cried and prayed hoping that she would be okay. The ambulance came and took her to hospital. She was in critical care for three days and then moved to a cardiac ward.

The doctor told us that she had a heart attack which caused her heart to stop beating and that if we had not done CPR she may not be here today. We heard that over and over again from all the hospital staff about how important CPR is.

I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for choosing to do that show on that Friday morning because I think if we hadn't just heard it, we may have all just stood around not knowing what to do.

Thanks so much.
Robyn Day

PS Can you say thanks to the Ambulance ladies too please. They made it sound so simple and we remembered what they said when we had to do CPR.

> Listen to the radio conversation between Adam Spencer from ABC Radio and Penelope Little and Clare Pemberton from Ambulance.

Ambulance is committed to assisting the community create safer and healthier environments and outcomes by making prevention everyone’s businesses. A number of innovative community education programs have been implemented to assist identify life threatening conditions, understand what to do in an emergency and the importance of adopting illness prevention strategies.