Stories

Tor Inge’s story

Tor Inge was enjoying holidays with his extended family at their cabin in the fjords of Norway when his father suddenly experienced a cardiac arrest. Far from the nearest hospital, Tor Inge knew that time was critical.

As part of his job at Laerdal, Tor Inge practices CPR regularly. While his wife coordinated with the dispatcher, Tor Inge delivered compressions and ventilations. There was a defibrillator at a nearby school that they got hold of and were able to give him a shock before the ambulance arrived and could take over.

Today, almost a year later, Tor Inge’s father lives at home and appreciates time with family and friends, still recovering from the dramatic event.

Meskerem’s story

On August 15, Baby Meskerem was born. She weighed only 1100 grams.

Abebe Haile didn’t know if his baby would survive. His wife, Mulunesh, had eight previous pregnancies, but only three babies had survived.

While Mulumesh recovered from a necessary cesarian section, healthcare workers taught Abebe how to keep the baby warm and fed in the skin-to-skin position known as Kangaroo Mother Care. He did this for at least six hours every day and throughout the nights.

It worked. When KMC was initiated, Meskerem weighed only 1140 grams. When she was discharged from the KMC Unit she weighed 1700 grams. Today, Meskrem is healthy and thriving.

Luqman’s story

Muhammad Luqman Abdul Rahman of Singapore is only 18 years old and has already helped save nearly 20 lives. He was just 13 when he made his first save: on the way home from school his My Responder app from the Singapore Civil Defence Force alerted him that a factory worker had suffered a heart attack and collapsed close by. Having sprinted to the scene, Luqman performed CPR until the ambulance arrived – and later recalled that he had felt daunted because “actual doing was very, very different from practising.”

At first, Luqman’s parents were against his responding, fearing that the boy would be blamed if something went wrong. Asking them to come along the next time the alert sounded, he won them over – and by now they must be the proudest parents in Singapore.

Danieli’s story

Baby Danieli was not breathing when he was born. 

A young nurse at Haydom Hospital in Tanzania dried the baby, then suctioned and stimulated him. Still, he was not breathing. Trained using the Helping Babies Breathe program, she began ventilations immediately and continued until Danieli was able to breathe on his own.  

Danieli was the first baby whose life was saved because of the Safer Births project.  

Since then, there have been many more. And there will be many more to come. 

Ashley’s story

Newly out of residency, Ashley van der Zee Ormsby RN, BSN, had no idea late one evening that she would be relying on her simulation training to ensure a patient’s very survival. The patient, just after emergency surgery, suffered a pulmonary embolism that sent him into cardiac arrest.

Crediting an identical case in her simulation training at Children’s Hospital, Washington State University, Ashley called a code, took the lead, and directed the delivery of CPR for 30 minutes. The patient survived.

Aaresh & Bedika’s story

When baby Aaresh was born, he did not breathe. The hospital was busy and short on staff – so Bedika had to manage the resuscitation alone, even though she was a new midwife. “I took a deep breath and remembered what I had learned. We practice resuscitation regularly to keep our skills sharp.

I had practiced a difficult case where I had to do bag and mask ventilation for 2 minutes – it’s quite a long time. But I remembered that it worked. So, I didn’t give up. I continued for two minutes and 30 seconds. I only stopped once I heard the sound I had been hoping for – the baby cried.”

Catrina’s story

Catrina Brown was heading home from Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, South Worth, after a long day’s work, when she saw a motorcyclist had crashed and was lying unconscious by the side of the road. Another bystander called 911 and Catrina performed chest compressions until the ambulance arrived.

As a postpartum nurse, Catrina hadn’t performed CPR in years. She credits the regular training she receives through the RQI program at Texas Health for keeping her skills fresh.

“It really works,” she said. “When I came back to work, I told people two things: wear a helmet, and pay attention to CPR training.”

Shelisha and Khalif’s story

The family had gathered for a barbecue at their London home in the UK. Shelisha was upstairs with her son, Shylio, when she heard a bloodcurdling scream and ran downstairs. Outside, her sister, brother and dad had found her nephew, Khalif, in the pond and pulled him out. The two-year old was lifeless. Having been trained in CPR at work, Shelisha immediately began chest compressions and rescue breathing.

“I was very calm, almost robotic; I knew I had to continue without stopping,” she said later. When the ambulance arrived after 15 minutes and the paramedics took over, they told the family that there was a faint heartbeat – but Khalif was still unconscious. Rushed to hospital, he was transferred to intensive care where he made a full recovery.

Tayeeba’s story

Tayeeba was not breathing at birth but midwife Sakina, who had been
trained in the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program, knew what to do.

Sakina saved Tayeeba’s life. Today, Tayeeba is a healthy and thriving girl, full of energy and hope for the future